Cold as ice: Mercury slips to season’s fresh low of 3.4°C

Cold as ice: Mercury slips to season’s fresh low of 3.4°C

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:  21.12.2020

With the cold wave continuing, the season’s lowest minimum temperature of 3.4 degrees Celsius, which was five notches below normal, was recorded on Sunday. India Meteorological Department (IMD) officials said the minimum temperature may rise on Monday and Tuesday.

The minimum temperature was the lowest at Lodhi Road at 3.3 degrees Celsius. Last year, the mercury plummeted to below 4° Celsius only in the last week of December. In 2019, the lowest minimum temperature was recorded on December 28 at 2.4° Celsius. The all-time record of lowest minimum temperature was recorded on December 27, 1930 at zero degree Celsius.

IMD officials said a cold wave is recorded when the minimum temperature is 4 degrees or more below normal. Sunday was the third cold wave recorded in the city. The base observatory at Safdarjung recorded a maximum temperature of 22.4 degrees Celsius, which was normal at this time of the year.

Kuldeep Srivastava, scientist at IMD and head, Regional Weather Forecasting Centre, said, “The minimum temperature dropped mainly due to clear sky and Delhi receiving cold winds from the mountains where snow has fallen. Absence of cloud cover is making the days warm, while the heat has been quickly dissipating at night, leading to fall in temperature.”

The forecast for Monday says the minimum temperature is likely to rise to six degrees Celsius, while maximum temperature may remain around 22 degrees Celsius. Partly cloudy sky along with shallow fog or mist is also predicted. “However, the minimum temperature is likely to start dipping from Wednesday and may hover around 4 degrees Celsius from December 23 to 26. Moderate to dense fog along with cold wave conditions are forecast for the same period,” said an official.

Meanwhile, Delhi’s air quality deteriorated to the “very poor” category on Sunday. Air Quality Index (AQI) was 321 against 290 on Saturday.

System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research, the forecasting body under Union ministry of earth sciences, said, “The overall air quality is at the lower end of the very poor category. Surface-level winds are moderate and west-southwesterly. Cold day conditions are forecast to intensify in the region and surface winds are likely to slow down. The current better dispersion conditions are likely to decrease. Hence, AQI is forecast to deteriorate to the middle end of the very poor category on Monday and further deteriorate to the higher end of very poor on December 22 and 23.”

 

DELHI’S AIR QUALITY INDEX ON SUNDAY, RECORDED IN THE ‘VERY POOR’ RANGE