Delhi continued to reel under cold day conditions on Friday, days after it recorded the first cold day of the year on 6 January with mercury reaching a low of 5.8°C. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a nowcast warning at 5:30 AM, predicting the possibility of light rainfall over Delhi-NCR and surrounding areas.
The regions most likely to receive downpour are Jafarpur, Nazafgarh, Dwarka, Palam, IGI Airport, Ayanagar, Deramandi, Bahadurgarh, Gurugram, Faridabad and Ballabhgarh.
The weather department issued a yellow alert for dense fog during morning hours and forecast that the maximum temperature will be below normal by 1.6 to 3°C. "The maximum and minimum temperatures in Delhi are likely to be in the ranges of 16°C to 18°C and 5°C to 7°C, respectively," IMD said.
The weather agency warned against dense fog conditions, cold days and cold wave conditions over northwest India in the coming days. Uttarakhand, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Chandigarh and Rajasthan are on cold day alert, while Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana are reeling under cold wave conditions.
Delhi Airport issues passenger advisory
Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) issued a passenger advisory warning against disruptions due to operation of low visibility procedures. “Low Visibility Procedures are in progress at Delhi Airport. All flight operations continue as normal. Passengers are requested to contact the airline concerned for updated flight information,” the advisory states.
On Thursday, the national capital recorded its third-lowest temperature this winter, which settled at 5.8°C. The maximum temperatures remained lower than normal across all monitoring stations, and Palam emerged as the coldest station, with a minimum of 4.8°C. Ridge and Ayanagar all reported 5.8°C, according to the Meteorological Department.
Meanwhile, Delhi's base weather station, the Safdarjung observatory, recorded temperatures 1.1 degrees below normal, that is, a low of 5.8°C.
Delhi AQI today
The air quality in the national capital entered the ‘very poor’ range on 9 January, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 318 on Friday, a well-marked deterioration from 289 on Thursday.
A total of 24 monitoring stations out of 40 reported ‘very poor’ AQI today at 6:00 AM, while the remaining registered ‘poor’ air quality. IGI Airport registered the best AQI today at 245, while Nehru Nagar reported the worst air quality at 389.
