The India Meteorological Department on Wednesday predicted that temperatures would drop further in parts of Delhi over the next two days, PTI reported.
The national Capital recorded a minimum temperature of 5.8 degrees Celsius on Wednesday morning. Dense fog also shrouded the city. The visibility dropped to 100 metres in the Palam area this morning, the weather department said. The minimum temperature was three degrees below normal. The maximum temperature is likely to settle around 19 degrees Celsius, it added.
The weather department predicted both “cold day” and “cold wave” in parts of Delhi on Thursday and Friday. Kuldeep Srivastava, the head of the Indian Meteorological Department’s regional forecasting centre, said: “The Western Himalayas recorded widespread snowfall due to strong Western Disturbances and now frosty winds have been blowing towards the plains, bringing the mercury down.”
The minimum temperatures is likely to remain around five degrees Celsius till Friday, the weather department said, adding that severe cold conditions is expected in some pockets of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh.
At 2 pm, the air quality index in Delhi was at 270, indicating “poor” conditions, the Central Pollution Control Board said. The 24-hour average AQI was 230 on Tuesday. It was 160 on Monday, 305 on Sunday and 356 on Saturday.
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