New Delhi, Jan 7 (PTI) A biting winter chill tightened its grip on Delhi on Wednesday as the city shivered through a second consecutive cold day, with daytime temperatures plunging sharply and cold day conditions recorded at Palam and Lodhi Road.
The maximum temperature in the national capital was recorded at 16.7 degrees Celsius, 2.3 notches below the seasonal average, while the minimum temperature settled at 8.6 degrees Celsius, 1.7 notches above normal, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
Cold day conditions were observed at Palam and Lodhi Road as maximum temperatures plummeted, the weather office said. According to the IMD, cold day conditions are declared when the maximum temperature falls 4.5 degrees Celsius to 6.4 degrees Celsius below normal.
On Tuesday, Delhi recorded its first cold day of the year as the maximum temperature stood at 15.7 degrees Celsius, 3.3 notches below normal, while the minimum temperature was recorded at 7.6 degrees Celsius, 0.7 notches above normal.
Station-wise data showed that on Wednesday morning, Safdarjung recorded a maximum of 16.7 degrees Celsius, which was 2.3 degrees below normal, showing a rise of 1.0 degrees over the previous day.
Palam was the coldest among the stations, logging a maximum temperature of 13.9 degrees Celsius, 4.8 degrees below normal, with a 24-hour increase of 0.9 degree. Lodhi Road registered a maximum of 16.3 degrees Celsius, also significantly below normal by 4.7 degrees, and was 0.5 degree higher than the previous day. The Ridge station recorded a maximum temperature of 15.9 degrees Celsius, 0.6 degree below normal, with a rise of 1.0 degree, while Ayanagar also logged a maximum of 15.9 degrees Celsius, which was 1.0 degree below normal, marking a sharper 24-hour increase of 1.9 degrees.
In the morning hours, Safdarjung recorded a minimum temperature of 8.6 degrees Celsius, followed by Lodhi Road at 7.7 degrees, the Ridge at 7.5 degrees, Ayanagar at 8 degrees and Palam at 7.1 degrees Celsius.
The weather office has forecast dense fog during the morning hours on Thursday and issued a yellow alert. The maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to hover around 16 degrees Celsius and 8 degrees Celsius, respectively, with the IMD saying there is a low possibility of cold day conditions continuing the next day.
Meanwhile, Delhi’s 24-hour average air quality improved marginally to 289, placing it in the ‘poor’ category, from 310 recorded on Tuesday in the ‘very poor’ range.
Station-wise data showed that 19 stations were in the ‘very poor’ category, 18 in ‘poor’ and one in ‘moderate’, with Nehru Nagar recording the worst AQI at 346.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) classification, an AQI between 0 and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 and 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 and 200 ‘moderate’, 201 and 300 ‘poor’, 301 and 400 ‘very poor’ and 401 and 500 ‘severe’.
The Decision Support System indicated that Delhi’s pollution load was led by transport at 16.3 per cent, followed by Delhi and peripheral industries at 13.3 per cent, residential sources at 4.5 per cent, construction at 2.1 per cent, waste-burning at 1.5 per cent and road dust at 1.1 per cent.
Among NCR districts, Ghaziabad contributed 15 per cent, followed by Sonipat at 11.1 per cent, Rohtak at 3.8 per cent, Panipat at 2.3 per cent and Jind at 1.7 per cent.
The Air Quality Early Warning System has forecast that Delhi’s air quality is likely to remain in the ‘very poor’ category on January 8 and 9, before improving to the ‘poor’ category on January 10.
During the morning hours on Wednesday, the city’s air quality slipped back into the ‘very poor’ category with an average AQI of 336, while Nehru Nagar recorded the worst reading at 360. PTI SGV PRK PRK
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