Cold wave abates in Delhi, temperature settles at 5.6 degrees Celsius; light rain likely tonight

Safdarjung observatory, Delhi's primary weather station, recorded a minimum temperature of 5.6 degrees Celsius, two notches below normal on Thursday morning.

New Delhi: Cold wave abated in the national capital on Thursday (January 19, 2023) with Safdarjung observatory, the city's primary weather station, recording a minimum temperature of 5.6 degrees Celsius, two notches below normal. The slight relief from the biting cold came after Delhi witnessed a second cold wave this month with the minimum temperature settling at 2.6 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, 2.4 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, and 1.4 degrees Celsius on Monday. The capital has so far logged eight cold wave days in January, the most in the month in at least 12 years.

Delhi recorded a spell of intense cold wave from January 5 to 9, the second longest in the month in a decade, according to IMD data. It has also logged over 50 hours of dense fog this month so far, the highest since 2019.

The meteorological office had earlier said cold wave conditions would abate from Thursday or Friday under the influence of two western disturbances that are likely to affect the region in quick succession.

Delhi may see light rain on Thursday night

Meanwhile, the Met department has predicted that the city may see light rain on Thursday night.

It is notable that the national capital has not recorded any rainfall this winter season so far. The weather experts have attributed it to the lack of strong western disturbances in November and December.

Last year, Delhi recorded 82.2 mm of rainfall in January, the highest in the month since 1901.

Light to moderate rain and a hailstorm with winds gusting up to 50 kilometres per hour are also predicted to lash northwest India, including Delhi, on January 23-24 under the influence of another western disturbance.