2.60 Celsius: Coldest Capital in 14 years

NEW DELHI: The temperature in Delhi dropped to 2.6 degrees Celsius on Saturday, recording the season's lowest temperature so far. The temperature was four degrees below the season's average.

Officials observed that for Delhi it is the coldest winter in the last 14 years. The visibility on Saturday morning was 1,500 metres in most parts of the national Capital, an unidentified official of the India Meteorological Department said.

Visibility in Palam dropped to 800 metres. "While there was shallow to moderate fog in most parts of the city, a few places saw dense fog causing visibility issues," the official said. "The sky will remain clear with cold wave conditions at many places."

The Regional Meteorological Centre in Delhi has warned of "cold wave and ground frost in many pockets and severe cold wave in a few pockets" in Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi till Monday. It has also warned of similar conditions in Punjab, West and East Rajasthan.

The air quality in the national Capital was "very poor" with Air Quality Index at 398 on Saturday, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

The Central Pollution Control Board and the Centre-run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) data showed the overall air quality index (AQI) in the national Capital at 389 and 369 respectively — both of which fall in the 'very poor' category.