Delhi residents are reeling with cold wave conditions at a time when Ayanagar's minimum temperature dropped as low as 2.9°C on Sunday. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a 2-day orange alert for cold wave as many places with reported below normal temperature on 11 January.
With minimum temperature plunging close to the three-degree mark at multiple locations across the city, Palam recorded its lowest minimum temperature in several years. Meanwhile, Ridge area registered 3.7 degrees Celsius minimum temperature.
Predicting cold wave condition and dense for the coming days, IMD's forecast for Monday states, “Mainly clear sky. Cold wave conditions at a few places. Shallow to Moderate fog during morning hours. The maximum and minimum temperatures in Delhi are likely to be in the ranges of 18°C to 20°C and 02°C to 04 °C, respectively.”
The Meteorological Department warned against 3.1 to 5.0 degrees Celsius drop in minimum temperatures below normal in Delhi. The maximum temperatures might see 1.6 to 3.0 degrees Celsius drop below normal today. IMD's latest weather bulletin states, "Dense fog conditions also likely during morning hours in isolated/some pockets over Jammu division, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab till 16th, Haryana Chandigarh & Delhi till 17th."
It further notes, "Cold wave to Severe Cold wave conditions very likely in isolated pockets of Punjab, Haryana Chandigarh & Delhi on 12th and cold wave conditions on 13th January."
Safdarjung monitoring station registered 4.8 degrees Celsius minimum temperature on Sunday night which is expected to drop further to around 3 degrees Celsius tonight, PTI reported. The Ridge station recorded a minimum temperature of 3.7 degrees Celsius, while Lodhi Road reported 4.6 degrees Celsius temperature on 11 January.
Amid low visibility, Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport issued a passenger advisory, warning against flight delays and cancellations due to foggy conditions. The advisory said, “Flight operations are currently being conducted under CAT 11I conditions due to dense fog, which may result in delays and cancellations. Passengers are requested to contact their respective airlines for the latest flight information or visit our official website.”
Air India and SpiceJet also issued advisories in the wake of 150 metre visibility at Delhi airport at 9:40 AM.
Curated by Aisha Patel
