On Friday, Delhi recorded its lowest temperature of the season, dipping three degrees below average to 3.9°C, despite exceptionally severe surface level fog that reduced visibility to nil at the airport for nearly four hours beginning at 4:30 a.m. and delayed over 50 flights.
On Thursday, the lowest temperature was 5.8°C, two degrees below usual. This season, Delhi has seen three frigid days with a minimum temperature of 4.5°C or more below average. A cold wave occurs when the lowest temperature drops to roughly 2°C. The previous low temperature (4.9°C) this season was observed on December 15.
With skies becoming clear after nearly two weeks of dense upper-level fog, the same formed closer to the surface, making days colder. The same fog prevents substantial heat loss at night, not allowing the minimum to dip sharply.
“On Thursday and Friday, we have seen the impact of clear skies, which has dipped the mercury. Calm winds also allowed fog to form close to the surface,” said an India Metrological Department official.
The lowest temperature was expected to increase again beginning Saturday when a new western disturbance approached the northern plains, bringing cloudiness.
On Thursday, the highest temperature was 18.1°C, which is two degrees below usual. Over the weekend, temperatures are expected to range between 19 and 20 degrees Celsius.
Delhi’s air quality remains extremely bad. The average air quality index (AQI) was 348 (extremely bad) at 9 a.m. on Friday. It was the same at 4 p.m. on Thursday. The air quality was expected to remain extremely severe until next week.
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