Gurgaon shivered through its coldest night of the season on Sunday, as the temperature plunged to0.6°C, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The reading was recorded by an automatic weather station (AWS) in the city, making it one of the lowest temperatures in decades—though the last sub-zero night in Gurgaon was recorded onJanuary 11, 1971.

IMD officials noted that the unusually low reading may have been influenced by local factors such as the AWS location, open fields, soil type, vegetation, and urban density. Micro-level variations are common; while Gurgaon recorded 0.6°C, nearby stations such as Aya Nagar logged 3°C, and in Delhi, Safdarjung reported 3.2°C.

Meteorologists attribute the current chill toWestern Disturbancesthat brought heavy snowfall to the Himalayas earlier in January, followed bynorthwesterly winds transporting frigid air to the plains. January is typically the coldest month in North India, but the plains are experiencing colder-than-usual temperatures compared to nearby hill stations like Shimla, where cloud cover trapped heat at night.

The IMD has issued anorange alertfor cold day conditions in Gurgaon and the Capital, with cold wave conditions expected to persist over the next two days. Meanwhile, Delhi woke up to a minimum of 3°C—the coldest January day since 2023—with the maximum temperature around 20.6°C. The city’sAir Quality Index (AQI) remained poor at 297, compounding discomfort amid the cold spell.