Minimum temperature falls below season’s average due to western disturbances

The onset of a western disturbance on Sunday took the minimum temperature in the national Capital one notch above the season’s average at 8.6 degrees Celsius.

Western disturbance is a phenomenon that brings in moisture-laden winds and cloud cover. Its gradual approach has given Delhi, in grip of a cold spell, a slight respite.

Flight operations at the Indira Gandhi International airport remained normal. However, rail services were affected by the delay of 26 north-bound trains and rescheduling of thirteen, and cancellation of two.

Visibility conditions also improved compared to Saturday, with the Safdarjung observatory recording it at 700 m at 8.30 am.

According to the weather office, the humidity at 8.30 am was 95 per cent. “There was shallow fog in the morning. The sky would remain partly cloudy in the day with the maximum temperature likely to hover around 20 degrees Celsius,” an official of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

The biting cold weather strengthened its grip on the national Capital on Saturday, which saw its coldest morning on Saturday with the mercury dipping to 3.2 degrees Celsius – the lowest of the season.

The IMD had also revised its next week’s forecast. The minimum temperature, which it said was likely to rise upto 11 degrees on Monday, is now likely to hover around 8 degrees Celsius.

The national Capital on Monday would also see dense fog, the IMD forecast stated. The temperature would rise, bringing respite for two days on Sunday and Monday, and start dipping again.

According to weather analysts, the improvement in temperature from Sunday onwards is based on prospects of rainfall in Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, from the night of January 14 onwards.

“The rains would drop the speed of West-North Westerly winds from Jammu and Kashmir, due to Western disturbances. At the same time, cloud formation would help trapping the heat, increasing both maximum and minimum temperature on Sunday and Monday,” Mahesh Palawat, director of private weather agency Skymet told mediapersons.

Since January 7, the mercury has been on a downward slide and has dropped by more than 10 degrees in just five days, with the cold wave engulfing several regions of north India.