The national capital has been experiencing wintry mornings and nights since New Year’s eve, causing people to shiver both at home and in workplaces. Icy winds and a heavy fog in the higher altitudes have kept the city in the grip of winter. A day after recording its lowest daytime temperature of the season, Delhiites woke up to yet another cold and grey morning, with the maximum temperature recorded at 12.5 degrees Celsius — seven notches below the season’s normal at the Safdarjung Observatory station on Thursday. This is a record low for the season, leading to foggy and cold day-like conditions.”

The recorded minimum temperature was around 7.7 degrees Celsius, just one notch above the normal. With cold conditions expected in the upcoming days, the weather office forecasts that on Friday, both the maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to settle around 13 and 6 degrees Celsius, respectively.

Safdarjung, Delhi’s main weather station, reported a visibility of 500 metres at 8:30 am, with the minimum temperature recorded at 7.7 degrees Celsius, slightly above the normal for the season. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) data, Palam recorded a maximum temperature of 11.4 degrees Celsius, nearly seven notches below the season’s normal, while the minimum temperature stood at 7.5 degrees Celsius. The Ridge recorded a maximum temperature of 12 degrees Celsius, approximately five notches below the normal. In Aya Nagar, the maximum temperature was recorded at 12 degrees Celsius.

“The first 10 days of January are typically considered the coldest, but this year, it is relatively warmer compared to the previous year,” said Kuldeep Srivastava, scientist and head of the Regional Weather Forecasting Centre. The decline in the maximum temperature has led to bitter cold in Delhi, with the minimum temperature already around 7 degrees Celsius. A meteorological “cold day” is declared when the maximum temperature is 4.5 degrees below normal, and the minimum temperature is below 10 degrees Celsius. The peak temperature usually occurs between 3 pm and 4 pm. The three-hour readings recorded by the IMD indicate ambient temperatures in the low double digits (10-11 degrees Celsius) for most parts of

the day between 8:30 am and 5:30 pm, except for some hours between 2:30 pm and 5:30 pm.

“The normal maximum temperature for Delhi at this time is around 17.3 degrees Celsius, and the normal minimum is 6-7 degrees Celsius,” said IMD officials.

The weather department has issued a yellow alert for “cold day” conditions in some areas along with moderate fog.

Several flight operations were delayed at Delhi airport while 26 trains were delayed in arrival by three to eight hours due to low visibility amid foggy conditions. In light of the prevailing cold weather conditions, administrations in Uttar Pradesh’s Noida and Greater Noida ordered schools to remain shut for students up to Class 8 till January 6.

The 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 4 pm on Thursday was 377, which stands in the “very poor” category.According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data, the Air Quality Index was recorded at 377 in RK Puram on Thursday morning, 312 in Lodhi Road, 377 ITO area and 387 in the IGI Airport area.

Meanwhile, the air quality at Anand Vihar plummeted to the ‘severe’ category with PM2.5 at 428 and PM10 at 433, as per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The AQI at ITO also remained in ‘severe’ category with PM2.5 reaching at 447 and PM10 at 403. The Carbon Monoxide (CO) was recorded at 79, in the ‘satisfactory’ category.

The particulate matter PM2.5 at Punjabi Bagh also reached 441 while PM10 was at 407, both in the ‘severe’ category. The air quality at Jahangirpuri air quality monitoring station also entered into ‘severe’ category with PM2.5 at 466 and PM10 444. The CO also reached at 101 or ‘moderate’.

The PM2.5 at Okhla Phase-II was recorded at 411 and PM10 at 405 both in the ‘severe’ category. The CO was at 106, at the ‘moderate’ levels. At Mundka the AQI remained in the ‘severe’ category with PM2.5 at 401 and PM10 at 303, in the ‘very poor’ category.

At Bawana, the air quality was in the ‘very poor’ category with PM2.5 at 375 and PM10 at 282, in the ‘poor’ category, while the AQI monitoring station at Dwarka sector 8 recorded PM2.5 at 400 and PM10 at 321, both in the very poor category.

In its forecast, the IMD said a thick blanket of fog has swallowed the vast Indo-Gangetic plains, stretching from Pakistan to West Bengal, plunging North India into an icy grip. Dense to very dense fog shrouds Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, North Rajasthan, North Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and even parts of Bihar and Jharkhand. This relentless mist not only disrupts visibility but also triggers biting cold days, and even severe cold day, conditions across the region.

While minimum temperatures remain surprisingly above normal, day temperatures in Punjab and parts of Haryana have nosedived significantly below average. This stark contrast paints a picture of an unusually chilly North India, where residents shiver despite relatively warmer nights.

According to the weather department, over the next two days, no significant change in weather is expected in east India.

In Central India, minimum temperatures are likely to rise by 2-3 degrees Celsius over the next three days, with no significant change thereafter.