New Delhi: The national capital witnessed another chilly day on Thursday, as the maximum temperature plunged to 12.5 degrees Celsius, which is seven degrees below the normal for this time of the year. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the cold spell will persist for the next few days, with no significant change in the temperature. The IMD has forecast that the maximum and minimum temperature of Delhi on Friday will be around 13 and 6 degrees Celsius respectively, which are both below the average.
The cold conditions also affected the visibility in the city, which was recorded at 500 meters at 8:30 am at Delhi’s main weather station Safdarjung. The minimum temperature at Safdarjung was 7.7 degrees Celsius, which is one degree above the normal, but still cold enough to make people shiver. The IMD said that the low visibility was due to the presence of fog and mist in the morning hours, which cleared up later in the day.
The IMD also issued a cold day alert for several northern states, including Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh, for Friday. A cold day is declared when the maximum temperature is at least 4.5 degrees below the normal and the minimum temperature is below 10 degrees. The IMD said that these states will experience severe cold during the day on Friday, with very low chances of getting sunlight. The IMD said that the cold wave situation is still prevailing in the country, due to the influence of the western disturbance and the cold and dry northwesterly winds.
The IMD said that there is little hope of getting relief from the cold for a few more days, as the western disturbance is likely to move away by Saturday, but the cold and dry winds will continue to blow over the northern plains. The IMD said that the cold wave conditions are also affecting other parts of the country, such as Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, and Odisha, where the minimum temperature has dropped below the normal. The IMD advised people to take precautions and avoid exposure to the cold.
