New Delhi, Jan 8: Cold day conditions persisted in isolated parts of the national capital for the second consecutive day on Wednesday, with fog and chilly northwesterly winds keeping daytime temperatures below normal, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
The maximum temperature in Delhi settled at 16.77 degrees Celsius, slightly higher than Tuesday’s 15.7 degrees Celsius but still around two degrees below the seasonal average. According to the IMD, Palam and Lodhi Road continued to record “cold day” conditions.
The weather office has issued a yellow alert for the city, forecasting a marginal rise of about one degree in the maximum temperature on Thursday, though no significant change in overall weather conditions is expected.
Shallow fog was observed across Delhi on Wednesday morning, with visibility reducing to around 800 metres at Safdarjung and 600 metres at Palam.
While surface-level fog remained shallow, upper-level fog persisted, affecting sunlight penetration. “We are recording consistent northwesterly winds which, along with fog, are preventing a rise in maximum temperatures.
Though some areas received sunshine, it was not strong enough,” said Mahesh Palawat, Vice President at private weather forecasting agency Skymet.
The IMD defines a “cold day” as a situation when the minimum temperature drops below 10 degrees Celsius and the maximum temperature remains at least 4.5 degrees Celsius below normal.
A “severe cold day” is declared when the maximum temperature falls 6.5 degrees Celsius or more below the seasonal average.
The IMD has warned that dense morning fog is likely to persist across northwest, central and northeast India over the next five to seven days, leading to poor visibility and possible disruption to road, rail and air traffic.
Very dense fog conditions are expected in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh between January 8 and 10, followed by dense fog from January 11 to 14. Cold day conditions are also likely to continue in Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Punjab, western Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
Cold wave conditions may persist in isolated pockets of Himachal Pradesh, eastern Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Jharkhand, the IMD added.
For Delhi, Skymet has forecast dry weather along with continued cold day conditions. Daytime temperatures are expected to range between 15 and 17 degrees Celsius, while minimum temperatures may hover between seven and nine degrees Celsius.
Meanwhile, dense fog disrupted flight operations in Varanasi, prompting IndiGo to issue a travel advisory. The airline cautioned that adverse weather conditions could impact flight schedules and advised passengers to check their flight status before heading to the airport.
In other parts of the country, Ambikapur in Chhattisgarh recorded the lowest minimum temperature across India’s plains over the past 24 hours, with the mercury dipping to 3.3 degrees Celsius, according to official data
