Delhi: Delhi woke up to its chilliest January morning in two years on Saturday, with temperatures dipping well below normal and pollution levels remaining alarmingly high.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the city’s minimum temperature settled at 4.2 degrees Celsius, nearly three degrees lower than the seasonal average. The reading marks the coldest morning of the current winter so far and the lowest January temperature recorded in the capital since last year.
The last time Delhi experienced a colder January morning was on January 15, 2024, when the mercury dropped to 3.3 degrees Celsius, prompting cold wave conditions across the city.
Data from multiple weather stations showed a uniform drop in temperatures across the capital. Safdarjung, Delhi’s primary weather station, recorded a low of 4.2 degrees Celsius, while Palam and Ayanagar both reported 4.5 degrees. Lodhi Road saw a minimum of 4.7 degrees, and the Ridge area registered 5.3 degrees, reflecting the widespread nature of the cold spell.
Saturday’s chill followed Friday’s near-freezing start, when the minimum temperature fell to 4.6 degrees Celsius, making it the second-coldest morning of the season. Earlier in the winter, the lowest readings had hovered above 5.5 degrees Celsius on several days in early December.
The IMD has warned that dense fog is likely to persist during the day, potentially affecting visibility and disrupting transport services. At 9 am, relative humidity stood at 100 per cent, creating conditions conducive to fog formation.
Alongside the cold, air pollution continued to pose a serious concern. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) reported that Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) was 366 at 9 am, placing it firmly in the ‘very poor’ category. Such levels are known to aggravate respiratory and cardiovascular conditions, particularly among children, the elderly and those with pre-existing illnesses.
Under CPCB standards, an AQI reading between 301 and 400 is classified as ‘very poor’, while values above 400 are considered ‘severe’.
Weather officials expect cold conditions to persist over the next few days, urging residents to take precautions against both the low temperatures and the deteriorating air quality.
