Delhi Records Temperature Lower Than Dharamshala

• Delhi shivers as it records the lowest temperature of 4.4 degrees Celsius 
• Reports state that dense fog and cold wave conditions are likely to develop across North India 
• An Orange Alert has been issued by the Indian Meteorological Department for the residents of Delhi 
• The Air Quality Index of the capital city has also decreased falling below the “poor” level

Lowest Temperature Recorded in Delhi

On Wednesday morning, the lowest temperature for Delhi of the 2022-23 season was recorded with the fall going to 4.4 degrees Celsius. Shivers and chills took over as dense fog completely enveloped the city. The Indian Meteorological Department in a report disclosed that these cold conditions were expected to prevail for 2-3 days. 

These conditions led to disturbances in the airline as visibility of 200m was noted at 5:30 AM at the Indira Gandhi International Airport’s Panama Observatory. 

i) Dense to very dense fog and cold day conditions very likely to continue over northwest India during next 4-5 days.
ii) Cold wave conditions very likely to continue over northwest India during next 3 days and decrease in intensity thereafter. pic.twitter.com/6Rlq10xy0m

— India Meteorological Department (@Indiametdept) January 3, 2023

Similar conditions have been noted to develop over the Northwestern Indian plains of Punjab, Bihar, Haryana, Chandigarh, and Uttar Pradesh. Official weather record departments have alerted cold wave and dense fog conditions for the next two days in over 36 districts of Uttar Pradesh. A decrease in temperature below 4.5 degrees Celsius is expected in these 36 districts. This intense chilly weather in early January is presumed to be an effect of the Western Disturbances that prevail over the country, especially the Northwestern region. 

According to statistics and weather report data, the Indian Meteorological Department announces an Orange Alert when the minimum temperature is less than 10 degrees Celsius below the normal temperature. Similar alerts are set when the maximum temperature is below 4.5 degrees celsius of the “normal” average temperature. The fall of temperature to 4.4 degrees has led to a cold wave being declared all over Delhi as the new year brings with it new precedents of temperature. 

Additionally, the capital city recorded 239 on the Air Quality Index, which fell below the “poor” category. The System of Air Quality, Weather Forecasting and Research implied in a statement that the air quality is likely to degrade owing to the surface wind speed and varying temperature.