New Delhi: A biting chill swept through the national capital on Thursday morning, as Delhi woke up to its lowest minimum temperature recorded this year, and the third lowest for the season, at 5.8 degrees Celsius, data from the India Meteorological Department showed.
The mercury at the city’s base station, Safdarjung, dipped to 5.8 degrees Celsius, 1.1 degrees below the seasonal normal, making it the third lowest minimum temperature of this winter season.
Among the other monitoring stations, Palam recorded a low of 4.8 degrees Celsius, 1.7 degrees below normal, making it one of the chilliest mornings recorded in Delhi this year.
Lodhi Road recorded a minimum of 6.1 degrees Celsius, while both Ridge and Ayanagar settled at 5.8 degrees Celsius, according to IMD data. No rainfall was recorded in the city in the 24 hours ending at 8:30 am. The lowest minimum temperature of the season was recorded on December 4 and 5, when the mercury dipped to 5.6 degrees Celsius. On December 1, the minimum temperature stood at 5.7 degrees Celsius, making Wednesday’s low of 5.8 degrees Celsius the third lowest temperature recorded so far this winter.
Delhi recorded its first cold day of the year on January 6, when the maximum temperature plunged to 15.7 degrees Celsius, 3.3 degrees below the season’s average, while the minimum settled at 7.6 degrees Celsius, 0.7 degree below normal.
Meanwhile, the air quality showed a slight improvement to settle in the poor category on Thursday morning. The AQI Thursday morning was recorded at 276 compared to 336 on Wednesday morning. Delhi’s 24-hour average air quality on Wednesday was 289.