Delhi saw coldest morning of season yet

NEWDELHI: Delhi experienced the coldest morning of the season yet on Wednesday, with the minimum temperature dropping to 7 degrees Celsius, a notch below the season’s average, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

On Wednesday, the maximum temperature was 18 degree Celsius, five degrees below normal.

A day before, on Tuesday, Delhi had recorded the coldest day in 22 years, with the difference between the maximum and the minimum temperatures reducing to just 1.8 degree Celsius. This means the day was almost as cold as night. Tuesday’s maximum temperature was 12.2 degrees Celsius and the minimum was 10.4.

Scientists at IMD said Delhiites

will get some relief from the cold from Thursday, as the maximum and the minimum temperatures in Delhi-ncr are expected to go up. The forecast shows the maximum temperature on Thursday is likely to go up to 19 degree Celsius, and the minimum temperature will settle at 8 degree Celsius.

“Cold day conditions are likely get better from tomorrow and there will be increase in the maximum and minimum temperatures in Delhi-ncr. This will be because of an approaching western disturbance, which will hit the plains of northwest India from December 20 (Friday),” Kuldeep Srivastava, head of IMD’S regional weather forecasting centre, said. Srivastava said there is a forecast of light rain some parts of Delhi on Saturday because of the western disturbance.

As the wind speed slowed down on Wednesday, the air quality deteriorated to ‘poor’ from ‘moderate’. According to Central Pollution Control Board data, the air quality index on Wednesday was 292 against 168 on Tuesday.

The System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research , the ministry of earth science’s weather and pollution monitoring centre, said wind speed was expected to remain low in the next two days, which will bring down air quality.