The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert for dense fog and a cold wave in Delhi-NCR on Sunday and Monday. The weather conditions are expected to worsen over the next two days due to a sharp drop in temperatures. Delhi experienced its coldest morning of the winter on Saturday, with the minimum temperature at Safdarjung dropping to 4.2 degrees Celsius, the lowest in three years.
Daytime conditions in Delhi remained chilly, with the maximum temperature settling below normal at 19.7 degrees Celsius, contributing to prolonged winter discomfort. The weather department has forecast moderate to dense fog during the morning hours, reducing visibility significantly and intensifying the cold conditions. Cold wave conditions are declared when minimum temperatures drop between 4.5 and 6.4 degrees Celsius below normal, as per IMD norms.
Several parts of Delhi witnessed a sharp dip in temperatures, with Palam and Ayanagar recording minimum temperatures of 4.5 degrees Celsius. Lodi Road reported 4.7 degrees Celsius, while the Ridge area saw 5.3 degrees Celsius. Maximum temperatures across various weather stations also remained low, ranging from 17.2 degrees Celsius at Palam to around 19 degrees Celsius at Safdarjung and Ayanagar. The minimum temperature on Friday was 4.6 degrees Celsius.
As the cold wave intensifies, air quality in Delhi has worsened due to unfavorable meteorological conditions. Cold and calm winds have hindered the dispersion of pollutants, leading to the accumulation of pollution levels over the city. Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) remained in the “poor” category, reaching 259 at 8:00 a.m. on Sunday. Chandni Chowk recorded the worst air quality with an AQI reading of 395, nearing the “severe” category. Health concerns have been raised as 27 air quality monitoring stations reported “very poor” levels, while 11 stations remained in the “poor” category during the ongoing cold spell.
