Temp may dip to 6°C by weekend, rain likely
NEWDELHI: Brace for a chilly weekend, as the minimum temperature is expected to drop to around six degrees Celsius on Saturday, the I ndia Meteorological Department has forecasted on Wednesday.
The national capital could also receive some light rain next week, owing to a winter disturbance, the IMD has said.
“A clear sky will help the night temperature drop over the next few days. It is expected to drop to around 6 degrees Celsius on Saturday. The day temperature is, however, expected to rise by a degree or two because of good sunshine,” Kuldeep Srivastava, head of the IMD’S regional weather forecasting centre in New Delhi, said.
On Wednesday, the night temperature stood at 8.4 degrees Cel- sius, which was one degree below normal. This is the lowest night temperature recorded this season so far. The day temperature was recorded at 25 degrees Celsius, which was normal for this time of the year.
Meteorologists said while a clear sky helps the night temperature drop, while pushing up the day temperature, a cloudy sky does the opposite. It pulls down the day temperature while making nights comparatively warmer. “Early next week, a western disturbance could be approaching. This could trigger some light rain in Delhi and NCR on Tuesday and Wednesday,” Srivastava said.
With the approach of the western disturbance, the sky could become cloudy. Because of this, the day temperature could drop by at least three degrees to 23 degrees Celsius by Tuesday. The night temperature could rise by a degree or two during the same period.
The coldest December night ever experienced in Delhi was on December 26, 1945, when the minimum temperature dropped to 1.1 degrees Celsius.
In the last three years, however, the temperature hasn’t dropped below 5 degrees in December. The lowest temperature recorded in the month of December in the past one decade was on December 30, 2013, when the mercury dropped to 2.4 degrees Celsius. The rain is also expected to bring down pollution levels in the national capital, which is presently hovering in the ‘very poor’ zone.
On Wednesday, the air quality index (AQI) was recorded to be 331. It was the third consecutive day that the AQI has remained in the ‘very poor’ zone. Government agencies have forecasted that the air quality would remain in the ‘very poor’ zone over the next few days with marginal fluctuations.
EARLY NEXT WEEK, A WESTERN DISTURBANCE COULD APPROACH DELHI, TRIGGERING LIGHT RAIN IN DELHI AND NCR FROM TUESDAY