Delhi on Sunday witnessed a bone-chilling winter morning with shallow fog at several places with the minimum temperature settling at 8.2 degrees Celsius, the Indian Meteorological Department said.
However, as the day unfolded the fog cleared and the sky was mainly clear throughout the day while the maximum temperature was recorded at 18.8 degrees Celsius, as per the IMD record.
After several days, the maximum temperature recorded in Delhi was normal for the season compared to the couple of previous days when the same was pegged at several points below the season’s average.
People continued to experience a chill with cold winds which blew at up to 8 km/hr as was forecast by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM). “The predominant surface wind is likely to be coming from southwest/northwest directions in Delhi with wind speed 06-08 kmph and mainly clear sky on 07.01.2024,” the daily IITM bulletin said.
The temperature witnessed a drop towards the evening, according to the weatherman. It was around 13 degrees Celsius at around 6 pm.
Meanwhile, around 22 trains bound for Delhi ran late on Sunday due to fog conditions prevailing in the northern region.
On the other hand, the air quality in the city remained in the ‘very poor’ zone, with the average Air Quality Index recorded at 333, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
As per the forecast by the air monitoring agency IITM, “The air quality is likely to remain in Very Poor category from 08.01.2024 to 09.01.2024. The air quality is likely to improve but remain in Poor category on 10.01.2024. The outlook for subsequent 6 Days: The air quality is likely to remain in the Poor to Very Poor category.”
People sat beside bonfires in a bid to keep themselves warm and to protect themselves from the intensifying cold towards the evening and night hours.
For the northern region states, IMD has said that very dense fog was observed this morning in some parts of Punjab, north Haryana, Chandigarh, in isolated pockets over Jammu Division, Western Uttar Pradesh.