Cold New Year morning in Delhi; air quality 'severe'

Image courtesy: Reuters

New Delhi: The residents of national capital on Tuesday -- the first day of 2019 -- woke up to a cold morning as the mercury touched 4 degrees Celsius, three notches below the season`s average, the Met Office said. "There was shallow to moderate fog in the morning along with dense fog in some parts of Delhi. The sky will remain partly cloudy. Later in the day, there will be haze and smoke," an India Meteorological Department (IMD) official said.

The maximum temperature is expected to hover around 22 degrees Celsius. The humidity at 8.30 am was 100 per cent. According to the IMD, cold wave condition will continue at isolated places. Meanwhile, the pollution level went up to `severe` from `very poor` with the air quality index being at 404 at 10 am, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The major air pollutants were PM 2.5 and PM 10.

Monday`s maximum temperature settled at 22.3 degrees Celsius, three notches above the season`s average, while the minimum temperature was recorded at 3.8 degrees Celsius, three notches below the season`s average.