• Source:JND

Delhi Weather: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for Delhi on Friday, December 19. Earlier, the city experienced its coldest day of the season on Thursday, December 18, with the maximum temperature settling at 20.1 degrees Celsius, which was 2.1 degrees below the normal, while the minimum temperature went as low as 9 degrees Celsius. This drastic weather condition has made daytime conditions unusually chilly for mid-December. 

Even though there is a red alert for Delhi, the weather department has warned residents to brace for dense fog and smog, particularly during early morning hours, as weak winds continue to trap pollutants close to the surface. 

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Lowest Recorded Temperature Yet In December

According to Thursday’s data from the IMD, Thursday’s daytime temperature was the lowest in December. The second-lowest maximum temperature stood at 23.7°C on December 4, while 24.3°C, recorded in November, marked the third-lowest so far. However, meteorologists clarified that despite the dip, cold wave conditions have not been met, as both maximum and minimum temperatures remain within thresholds.

To put into perspective, Delhi’s coldest December daytime temperature recorded last year was 14.6 degrees Celsius. Earlier years saw temperatures falling to as low as 15.9 degrees Celsius in 2023, 15.6 degrees Celsius in 2022, and 18 degrees Celsius in 2021. The only respite till now has been the minimum temperature, which has hovered around 9 degrees Celsius, which is 0.9 degrees above the normal temperature. 

While there is no cold wave alert, weather experts caution that the combination of low temperatures, dense fog, and poor dispersion conditions will continue to make mornings tough for commuters, especially those heading out before sunrise.

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Travel Advisory For Commuters

Meanwhile, dense fog conditions have affected visibility for early commuters. At the Delhi airport, visibility dipped to around 2,000 metres, with foggy conditions persisting through the night and early morning. This, in turn, has forced the airport operators to implement CAT-III operations at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), leaving the possibility of flight delays and disruptions, airport authorities said on Friday. 

(With inputs from PTI)

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