Delhi shivers at 2.4°C as coldwave makes a comeback, expect relief from THIS date

The chilly northwesterly winds from the mountains stop blowing, leading to an increase in temperatures, details below.

Image Credits: ANI

New Delhi: The minimum temperature at the Safdarjung observatory, the city's base station, was 2.4 degrees Celsius, indicating a cold wave in Delhi. It was a few degrees warmer than Monday's low of 1.4 degrees Celsius, the lowest for the month since January 1, 2021.The cold wave conditions over northwest India are expected to end on January 19 as a result of two possible western disturbances on January 18 and January 20, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

In certain regions of the northern region, foggy weather hampered road and rail travel. According to a Northern Railways spokeswoman, at least 15 trains were delayed between one hour to eight hours owing to foggy weather. The Palam observatory, located near the Indira Gandhi International Airport, recorded a 500-metre visibility level.

The weather service defines very deep fog' as visibility between zero and 50 metres, 'dense fog' as visibility between 51 and 200 meters, 'moderate fog' as visibility between 201 and 500 metres, and'shallow fog' as visibility between 501 and 1,000 metres. On January 1, 2021, Safdarjung had a low temperature of 1.1 degrees Celsius. On January 8, this year, the temperature dropped to 1.9 degrees Celsius. On January 16, 1935, an all-time low of minus 0.6 degrees Celsius was recorded.

On Tuesday, the meteorological station on Lodhi Road, which holds the India Meteorological Department (IMD), reported a minimum temperature of two degrees Celsius. The minimum temperature was 2.8 degrees Celsius in Ayanagar in southwest Delhi, 2.2 degrees Celsius in the Ridge in central Delhi, and 2.3 degrees Celsius in Jafarpur in west Delhi.

According to IMD data, Delhi had the second-longest cold wave episode in a decade from January 5 to 9. It has also recorded over 50 hours of severe fog this month, the most since 2019. According to the meteorological service, cold wave conditions will end on January 19 as a result of two western disturbances that are expected to hit the region in quick succession.

When a western disturbance, defined by warm moist winds from the Middle East, enters a location, the wind direction shifts. The chilly northwesterly winds from the mountains cease to blow, causing temperatures to rise.

A cold wave is declared in the plains when the minimum temperature drops to 4 degrees Celsius or when it is 10 degrees Celsius and 4.5 notches below normal. A severe cold wave occurs when the minimum temperature falls below 2 degrees Celsius or the deviation from normal limits exceeds 6.4 notches.