New Delhi experienced its coldest January night in two years on Friday, with the mercury dipping to a chilling 4.6 degrees Celsius. This marked the season's lowest temperature, settling two degrees below the normal range for this time of year.
Temperature Plunge and Winter Rain
The last time the capital saw a colder January night was on January 15, 2024, when the minimum temperature was 3.3 degrees Celsius. Before Friday's sharp drop, the season's previous low was 5.6 degrees Celsius recorded on December 4 and 5. A Met department official attributed the cold to "icy cold westerly winds" consistently blowing across the city.
In a notable shift, parts of Delhi also witnessed very light rainfall on Friday morning, a first for this winter season. The months of November and December had remained completely dry. Specific rainfall data recorded until 8:30 am showed Mayur Vihar receiving 1mm and Ayanagar 0.8mm, while Safdarjung and Lodhi Road observed trace amounts.
Fog, Visibility, and Air Quality Deterioration
The morning was also shrouded in shallow fog, reducing visibility significantly. At Safdarjung, visibility dropped to 600 metres, and it was even lower at Palam, at 500 metres. Concurrently, the city's air quality took a severe hit, deteriorating to the 'very poor' category with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 345. This was a sharp decline from Thursday's AQI of 280.
An official linked the worsening air to slowed wind speeds on Friday, which hampered the dispersion of pollutants. The forecast suggests the air quality is likely to remain in the 'very poor' zone on Saturday, with a possibility of improving to 'poor' by Sunday and Monday.
IMD Forecast and Temperature Trends
Despite the cold night, the day saw some respite with more sunshine hours, pushing the maximum temperature to 19.7 degrees Celsius, which is two degrees above normal. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert for moderate to dense fog for Saturday morning.
Looking at the broader trend, IMD data reveals a steady drop in minimum temperatures over recent days. It was 10.6 degrees Celsius on January 1, which fell to 5.8 degrees on Thursday before hitting 4.6 degrees on Friday.
The weather bureau predicts that the minimum temperature is likely to hover between 5 and 7 degrees Celsius on Saturday and dip further to between 4 and 6 degrees on Sunday. The maximum temperature is expected to be in the range of 16 to 18 degrees Celsius on Saturday and 15 to 17 degrees on Sunday.
