Delhi records coldest night in 3 years at 2.9°C; dense fog blankets city

Delhi recorded its chilliest night in three years as the minimum temperature at Safdarjung, the city’s main weather station, dipped to 2.9 degrees Celsius. According to India Meteorological Department (IMD) records, the last time the capital saw a lower minimum temperature was on January 18, 2023, when the mercury had fallen to 2.6 degrees Celsius.

The city continues to face harsh winter conditions, with dense to very dense fog affecting daily life and visibility across the city, according to the IMD latest daily bulletin. The weather office said fog is very likely during morning and night hours in Delhi till January 16, with dense fog expected in isolated pockets up to January 19.

At 5:30 am on Thursday, visibility at Palam airport dropped to around 50 metres, while Safdarjung recorded visibility close to 100 metres.

News agency ANI shared visuals of dense fog blanketing the city.

Minimum temperatures across Delhi remained low, with Safdarjung recording 2.9 degrees Celsius. Other parts of the city also experienced cold conditions, as the Ridge area reported 4.5 degrees Celsius, Palam 2.3 degrees Celsius, Ayanagar 2.7 degrees Celsius, and Lodi Road 3.4 degrees Celsius.

In the National Capital Region, Gurugram witnessed a sharp drop in temperatures. An automatic weather station in the city recorded a minimum of 0.8 degrees Celsius early Wednesday morning, marking a significant fall of 2.4 degrees Celsius over the past 24 hours. In contrast, neighbouring Faridabad saw no change, with the minimum temperature holding steady at 4.2 degrees Celsius compared to Tuesday.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the yellow alert and weather warnings currently in place for Gurugram are likely to continue on Wednesday. However, officials indicated that conditions may start improving soon. Weather is likely to improve in the region in the coming two to three days, with the mercury rising slightly by 2 to 3 degrees towards normal levels, a senior IMD official said.

Visibility levels dropped sharply during the early hours, falling to about 300 metres in outer areas at around 3 am, before improving slightly to 350 metres by 8:30 am.

Overall, the average minimum temperature rose marginally by 0.3 degrees Celsius compared to the previous day. Despite this slight increase, temperatures in Haryana remain significantly below normal by 3.2 degrees Celsius. The lowest minimum temperature in the state was recorded at 0.4 degrees Celsius in Saragthal.