At bone-chilling 2.2 degrees Celsius, Delhi colder than Himachal, U'khand; 'orange' alert issued for today

New Delhi: The national capital on Saturday (January 7, 2023) recorded a minimum temperature of bone-chilling 2.2 degrees Celsius, which was lower than that of most places in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The Safdarjung observatory, Delhi's primary weather station, logged a minimum temperature of 2.2 degrees Celsius, while a severe cold wave brought the mercury down to a numbing 1.5 degrees Celsius at the Ridge weather station in central Delhi. The weather stations at Lodhi Road and Ayanagar saw the lowest temperature dipping to 2 degrees Celsius and 3.4 degrees Celsius respectively.

With its base station recording a minimum temperature of 2.2 degrees Celsius, Delhi was colder than Chamba (5.8 degrees), Dalhousie (8.3 degrees), Dharamshala (9.2 degrees), Shimla (7.8 degrees), Hamirpur (3.9 degrees), Manali (4 degrees), Kangra (5.6 degrees), Solan (3 degrees), Dehradun (6 degrees), Mussoorie (8.1 degrees) and Nainital (5.8 degrees).

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), only a few places in Rajasthan, including Vanasthali (1.7 degrees Celsius), Sikar (1 degree Celsius), Pilani (0.6 degree Celsius) and Churu (0 degree Celsius), recorded a lower minimum temperature.

Minimum Temp., Departure and Tendency over the plains of northwest India & adjoining Central and east India Dated 07.01.2023 pic.twitter.com/92pmXfJxr6 — India Meteorological Department (@Indiametdept) January 7, 2023

Several places in the capital recorded a maximum temperature at least seven notches below normal, making it a severe cold day.

Orange alert issued for north India including Delhi

The Met Office has issued an "orange" alert for certain parts of north India, including Delhi, for Sunday, warning that dense fog, cold day and cold wave conditions will persist.

"Cold wave to severe cold wave conditions are very likely to continue over some areas in Rajasthan and Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi on December 8 (Sunday)," it said.

However, slight relief is likely after a couple of days under the influence of back-to-back western disturbances, the IMD said.

What is a cold day or a severe cold day?

A cold day is when the minimum temperature is less than or equal to 10 degrees Celsius and the maximum temperature is at least 4.5 notches below normal.

A severe cold day is when the maximum temperature is at least 6.5 notches below normal.