Delhi-NCR woke up to an unexpected spell of rain in the early morning hours on Friday, which further exacerbated the ongoing cold wave conditions with temperatures dipping to their lowest this season, as per IMD. The sudden showers, coupled with dense fog and chilling winds, indeed made for a really harsh start to the day across the region.
Lowest temperature in two years
The minimum temperature in the capital dipped to 4.6 degrees Celsius at 8:30am, which is 2.3 degrees below normal and the lowest January temperature recorded in the past two years. The mercury had fallen lower only once in recent times, on January 16, 2024, when Delhi logged a minimum of 3.5 degrees Celsius. The maximum temperature over the past 24 hours was recorded at 17.5 degrees Celsius on Thursday.
ALSO READ | What happened at a land adjoining the Syed Faiz Elahi mosque at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi?
Parts of Delhi started to receive rain around 6 am, heavy at first and then tapering off to light showers. Gurgaon, too, received unexpected rain, though the Met department forecast did not include rain for the city. If rain was not enough, a thick layer of smog shrouded most areas and made the already poor visibility worse early in the morning.
Air quality remains poor despite showers
While rainfall is usually expected to bring temporary relief from pollution, Delhi's air remained largely the same. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), air quality across the capital stayed in the ‘poor’ to ‘very poor’ category.
The AQI reading on Thursday stood at 280 while by 10am on Friday, it had worsened to 380. Anand Vihar topped the charts with a staggering AQI of 380, followed closely by Chandni Chowk, Jahangirpuri, Dwarka Sector 8 and Ashok Vihar. Cities in the vicinity like Noida, Ghaziabad and Faridabad recorded comparable readings as well.
IMD issues fog alert
The IMD has issued a yellow alert for dense fog on Friday and Saturday, warning of significantly reduced visibility. Northwesterly winds blowing at around 13 kmph will add to the chill, making daytime temperatures feel colder despite brief sunshine seen over the past two days.
Airport advisory amid low visibility
Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi issued a passenger advisory because of the operation of low-visibility procedures. “Low Visibility Procedures are in progress at Delhi Airport. All flight operations continue as normal. Passengers are requested to contact the airline concerned for updated flight information,” the advisory stated.
