Intense cold wave condition in north India; Delhi witnesses marginal rise in mercury, AQI remains 'very poor'

Under the influence of a fresh Western Disturbance affecting the upper reaches of the Himalayas, Delhi's minimum temperature rose slightly to 5.5 degrees Celsius.

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New Delhi: Delhi's minimum temperature rose slightly to 5.5 degrees Celsius on Monday (December 21) under the influence of a fresh Western Disturbance affecting the upper reaches of the Himalayas. 

"This is a fast-moving WD and it will withdraw on Tuesday (December 22). Thereafter, the temperatures are expected to drop again," Mahesh Palawat, an expert at Skymet Weather, a private forecasting agency, said. 

The WD will lead to a light to moderate snowfall in the upper reaches of Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh, he said.

The India Meteorological Department said the Safdarjung Observatory recorded a minimum of 5.5 degrees Celsius on Monday (December 21) morning as against 3.4 degrees Celsius on Sunday (December 20), the lowest this season so far.

The maximum temperature settled at 23.5 degrees Celsius, two notches more than normal.

It has predicted cold wave conditions at someplace in the city from December 23 to December 26.

Moderate to dense fog is also predicted during the period, it said.

Another Western Disturbance is likely to affect the upper Himalayan region from December 26, Palawat said.

For the plains, the IMD declares a cold wave when the minimum temperature is 10 degrees Celsius or below and is 4.5 notches less than normal for two consecutive days.

However, for small areas such as Delhi, a cold wave can be declared if the criteria are fulfilled even for a day, officials said.

The air quality was recorded in the "very poor" category.

Overall Air Quality Index (AQI) stands at 329 (very poor category) in Delhi, says System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting & Research (SAFAR)

An AQI between zero and 50 is considered "good", 51 and 100 "satisfactory", 101 and 200 "moderate", 201 and 300 "poor", 301 and 400 "very poor", and 401 and 500 "severe".