Delhi reeled under intensified winter conditions on Friday as the minimum temperature plunged to 4.6 degrees Celsius — the lowest of the season — following early morning rain, dense fog and an ongoing cold wave. The temperature dipped about 2.3 degrees below the seasonal average, making it the coldest morning so far this winter, with several parts of the city recording trace rainfall that added to the biting cold.
According to weather data, Safdarjung registered a minimum of 4.6 degrees Celsius, while Palam recorded 5 degrees, 1.5 degrees below normal. Lodhi Road saw a low of 5.2 degrees, and the Ridge station recorded 5.4 degrees Celsius. Ayanagar was among the coldest areas, with the temperature dropping to 4.8 degrees Celsius.
On the rainfall front, Safdarjung and Lodhi Road recorded trace precipitation over the 24-hour period ending at 8:30 am, while Ayanagar received 0.8 mm of rain. No rainfall was recorded at Palam and the Ridge during the same period.
The Regional Weather Forecasting Centre said light drizzle is likely at a few places across the capital, including Akshardham, Lodhi Road, Nehru Stadium, RK Puram, Defence Colony, Lajpat Nagar, Tughlakabad, IGNOU, Ayanagar and Deramandi. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) also warned that cold wave conditions are expected to persist over parts of north and northwest India, including Delhi-NCR, over the coming days. The maximum temperature in the capital is expected to hover around 17 degrees Celsius.
Despite the rainfall, Delhi’s air quality worsened to the ‘very poor’ category, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 325. This marked a deterioration from the previous day’s ‘poor’ category, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board.
