Coldwave conditions continued to affect several parts of Delhi on Monday, as the temperature dropped further in the last 24 hours. The minimum temperature recorded at Safdarjung, a key weather station for the city, was 4.5°C, which is four degrees below the normal temperature.
This is the joint lowest minimum temperature of the season, matching the 4.5°C recorded on December 12.
Visibility and air quality
The city also saw shallow fog, reducing visibility to around 800 meters. At the same time, Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) worsened to the "very poor" category. The average AQI was recorded at 351 at 9 am, up from 294 at 4 pm on Sunday.
Delhi's worst AQI this season was 412, recorded on November 23. However, this is only the second "very poor" air day in Delhi this month, with the rest of December seeing relatively cleaner air.
Cause of poor air quality
Meteorologists explained that a drop in wind speed caused the air quality to deteriorate. Winds in the region have been weak, with speeds below 5 km/h expected to continue into Tuesday.
“A weak western disturbance is affecting northwest India, which is slowing down winds and keeping the AQI in the ‘very poor’ range,” said Mahesh Palawat, vice president at Skymet.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted that the cold weather will persist, with Safdarjung’s minimum temperature expected to stay around 5°C on Tuesday. On Monday, the lowest temperature recorded was 3.5°C in Pusa (west Delhi) and 4°C in Ayanagar.
IMD classifies the weather as a coldwave when the minimum temperature is below 10°C and at least 4.5°C lower than normal. A coldwave is also declared if the temperature falls below 4°C.
Also Read: Cold wave grips Delhi NCR, Punjab, Haryana as mercury drops
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