Cold wave and dense fog in Delhi, cold will increase till January 5, air quality also ‘very bad’

Tezzbuzz Desk- The period of severe cold continues in the national capital Delhi. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted a cold wave in some areas of Delhi between Thursday and January 5. According to the IMD, a cold wave is declared when the minimum temperature falls by 4.5 to 6.5 degrees Celsius below the normal average.

On Thursday, Delhi’s maximum temperature was recorded at 17.3 degrees Celsius, about two degrees below normal, while the minimum temperature was 10.6 degrees Celsius, 3.7 degrees above normal. The Meteorological Department estimates that cold wave conditions may persist in Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and Delhi in the coming days. Also, there is a possibility of dense to very dense fog in Delhi during night and morning hours till January 6.

According to IMD, many areas will remain partly cloudy on Friday morning. Moderate to dense fog may be seen at some places. The maximum temperature is expected to be between 16 to 18 degrees Celsius and the minimum temperature is expected to be between 8 to 10 degrees Celsius.

Along with cold and fog, the problem of air pollution also persists in Delhi. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the city’s 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) was recorded at 380, which falls in the ‘very poor’ category. According to Sameer App data, 26 monitoring stations were in the ‘very poor’ category and 11 stations were in the ‘severe’ category. Anand Vihar recorded the worst AQI of 423. It is predicted that the air quality may remain ‘very poor’ till January 4 and the situation will not improve much for the next few days.

On Thursday, visibility remained very low in many areas of Delhi due to dense fog. Visibility dropped to 500 meters from late night to morning in Safdarjung and Palam areas, which later improved slightly to 600 meters. Very light rain or drizzle was also recorded at some places in the morning, while the sky remained partially covered with clouds throughout the day.

The maximum temperature in various parts of Delhi-NCR was recorded between 14.8 to 17.3 degrees Celsius, which was below normal at most places. The lowest maximum temperature recorded in Ayanagar was 14.8 degrees Celsius. The minimum temperature remained between 9 to 10.6 degrees Celsius. Relative humidity was recorded at 97 percent on Thursday morning and 87 percent in the evening.

Delhi recorded the coldest day of December in the last six years on Wednesday. The maximum temperature fell to 14.2 degrees Celsius, about 6.2 degrees below normal. Earlier on December 31, 2019, the maximum temperature was recorded at 9.4 degrees Celsius.

The Meteorological Department has advised people to be cautious in view of cold, fog and poor air quality, especially those traveling during morning and night hours.