Winter is here: Weather set to turn chilly, foggy

NIP IN AIR Saturday coldest day of season at 7.6°C; maximum set to dip to 21°C

NEW DELHI: The Capital’s first brush with bitter winter weather – marked by cold afternoons, frosty winds and foggy, overcast conditions – could come in the next couple of days when a western disturbance ushers in a spell of rain.

According to forecasts by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the maximum temperatures will come down from the 24.4° Celsius experienced on sunny Saturday to around 20°C on Tuesday. The early hours of Saturday recorded the lowest minimum temperature of the season at 7.6°C.

“People will feel the chill once the day temperature drops. Night temperature drops are usually imperceptible because at that time, most of us are asleep under blankets. The high diurnal range between the day and night temperature over the past few days has made us feel hotter during the day,” said a meteorologist at IMD, asking not to be named.

The air that will be bringing in the rain clouds will also be heavy in moisture, which will cause fog, a phenomenon that typically throws road, air and railway traffic into chaos in much of northern India for a few weeks every year.

Cold conditions prevailed in Punjab and Haryana in the plains on Saturday, while in the hills, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir recorded sub-zero temperatures. Officials predicted snowfall in Himachal and Kashmir.