Delhi wakes up to 3°C as cold wave persists, AQI in 'very poor' category

Delhi remained gripped by an intense cold wave on Tuesday as the average temperature in the city dropped to 4 degrees Celsius while Safdarjung and Lodhi Road saw temperatures drop to as low as 3 degrees Celsius, according to the latest data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Meanwhile, Delhi's Ayanagar area recorded a minimum temperature of 3.2 degrees Celsius.

Along with a cold wave, dense fog also continued to affect the national capital, while air quality remained a concern with the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded in the very poor category.

According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Delhi's overall Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 337 as of 8 AM on Tuesday, falling under the 'very poor' category.

Several locations in the national capital continued to record AQI levels above 300. Nehru Nagar reported a pollution level of 358, Jahangirpuri at 357, Anand Vihar at 411, and RK Puram at 365. Patparganj recorded an AQI of 366, Wazirpur 375, Vivek Vihar 366, Siri Fort 342, Rohini 397, Okhla Phase 2 296, Chandni Chowk 380, and Dwarka Sector 8 384, according to CPCB data as of 8:00 AM.

As per AQI classification, a reading between 0 and 50 is 'good', 51 to 100 'satisfactory', 101 to 200 'moderate', 201 to 300 'poor', 301 to 400 'very poor' and 401 to 500 'severe'.

Other plains also saw near-freezing temperatures - Hisar 2.6 degrees Celsius, Amritsar 1.1 degrees C, Churu 1.3 degrees C, Karnal 3.5 degrees C and Meerut 4.5 degrees.

In contrast, hill stations were far warmer, with Mussoorie at 7.7 degrees Celsius and Shimla at 8.8 degrees.

Explaining the unusual pattern, IMD director general M Mohapatra said that cloud cover over the hills, triggered by an active western disturbance, prevented heat from escaping at night.

“The night was cloudy over the higher reaches, which is why minimum temperatures remained higher there,” he said.

Over the plains, however, clear skies and persistent cold northwesterly winds led to strong radiative cooling, allowing temperatures to drop sharply.

Several parts of the city witnessed cold wave conditions on Sunday night, with minimum temperatures plunging close to the three-degree mark. Palam recorded a minimum temperature of 3.0 degrees Celsius, its lowest in several years.

At Safdarjung, the minimum temperature was 4.8 degrees Celsius on Sunday night, while the Ridge station recorded a minimum temperature of 3.7 degrees Celsius. The maximum temperature there reached 18.8 degrees Celsius.