Mercury in Delhi expected to dip to 4°C as cold wave conditions prevail: IMD

New Delhi: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday (December 20, 2021) said that the minimum temperature in the national capital is expected to dip to 4 degrees Celcius today as cold wave conditions prevail in the region. 

Delhi | The minimum temperature is expected to dip to 4 degrees Celcius today as cold wave conditions prevail in the national capital, as per India Meteorological Department (IMD).

(Data source: IMD) pic.twitter.com/Hp6LpMmPHe

— ANI (@ANI) December 20, 2021

According to the weather department’s morning update, a temperature of 4.4 degrees Celsius was recorded at 5.30 a.m in the national capital. The automatic weather station at Jaffarpur village in west Delhi recorded a low of 2.9 degrees Celsius, six notches below normal. The Lodhi Road weather station logged a minimum temperature of 3.1 degrees Celsius against the average of seven degrees Celsius.

According to ANI, the weather department predicted cold wave conditions with a drop in mercury level in Kanpur today as well. The minimum and maximum temperatures are expected to be around 5 degrees Celsius and 19 degrees Celsius, respectively. 

India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicts cold wave conditions with drop in mercury level in Kanpur today; Minimum and maximum temperatures expected to be around 5 degrees Celsius and 19 degrees Celsius, respectively

(Data source: IMD) pic.twitter.com/a2yhVMp3vz

— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) December 20, 2021

The weather department also issued a yellow alert for the national capital for Monday. The yellow weather warning, as per the weather department, indicates severely bad weather, also suggesting that the weather could change for the worse, causing disruption in day-to-day activities. 

There is also a possibility of drizzling on December 24 or 25, said Director General of Meteorology at IMD, RK Jenamani.

Meanwhile, severe cold wave conditions were observed in parts of Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh, the India Meteorological Department said on Sunday. Some parts of Uttarakhand reported dense fog.

The weather department predicted that cold wave to severe cold wave conditions are very likely to continue in northwest India over the next three days and abate thereafter.

Cold and dry northwesterly winds, gusting up to 15 kmph, are likely to continue over the plains of northwest India till Tuesday, "enhancing the adverse impact of cold wave and cold day conditions", the weather office said.

Earlier, on Sunday, the weather department also revealed that Rajasthan’s Churu recorded lowest minimum temperature of -1.1 degrees Celsius. 

Parts of Madhya Pradesh, including Bhopal, were also affected on Saturday due to chilly winds coming from the North. Gwalior, Datia and Nowgaon area of Chhatarpur district recorded the lowest minimum temperature of 4°C, said PK Saha, a meteorologist at IMD Bhopal office.

A "severe" cold wave is when the minimum temperature dips to two degrees Celsius or the departure from normal is more than 6.4 degrees Celsius.

When the minimum temperature is less than or equal to 10 degrees Celsius and the maximum temperature is at least 4.5 degrees Celsius below the normal, it is said to be a 'cold day'.

Additionally, Delhi’s air quality remains in the `poor` category for the second consecutive day on Monday (December 20, 2021) with the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) at 290.

As per the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR), the concentrations of PM 2.5 and PM 10 stood at 101 in the `poor` and 181 in the `moderate` category respectively.

(With agency inputs)

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