Delhi gets respite from biting chill
NEW DELHI: A slight increase in temperature on Tuesday eased Delhi’s chill a day after the record-breaking cold day when temperature hit its lowest in 119 years. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday said that the cold wave will subside till Jan.4 as the temperatures are expected to rise in the coming days.
According to IMD, the minimum temperature on Tuesday rose by 2 degrees and was recorded at 4.8°C at the Safdarjung meteorological station.
The minimum temperature at Palam was recorded at 4.1°C.
“No more cold wave is expected till Jan.4, 2020. But the cold days may persist,” said the weather department. A cold day is declared when maximum temperature is less than or equal to 16°C and foggy conditions prevail which creates cold conditions for prolonged period.
Kuldeep Shrivastava, Head, Regional Weather Forecasting Centre, New Delhi, told the media: “The minimum temperatures have shown a positive trend across various parts in North India, including Delhi. It may continue over the next two days, after which a brief of scattered rains is expected over Delhi.” “However, cold wave persists in certain pockets of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.”
Dense fog continued to envelop New Delhi, where on Monday hundreds of flights and dozens of trains were delayed. At least 34 trains running on the Northern Railways line were delayed and several flights were diverted.
Hospitals in the capital reported an increase in the number of patients seeking care for respiratory ailments. The pollution level in the national capital remained in the ‘’severe’’ category with air quality index (AQI) crossing 430 mark, prompting System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR) to advise people to avoid outdoor activities.
Close to noon, parts of Delhi, Noida and Gurugram were witnessing sunshine, but the day still remains windy and chilly. The IMD said Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur recorded a low of zero degrees on Tuesday at 7:00 am.
In UP’S Bahraich, a 100-year-old record was broken when the minimum temperature dipped to 0.2 degrees, private weather agency Skymet said.
The agency saw the possibility of rain in the evening. Skymet said,” Today the moderate winds from the east are instrumental for pushing the fog towards Haryana and Punjab. “Yesterday was the coldest day and we expect the temperature to go up to 13 to degrees Celsius. Light showers are expected tonight.”