Delhi wakes up to chilly morning, rain on cards
Delhi woke up to a bone-chilling morning on Tuesday after breaking the 119-year record of the coldest December day on Monday with the day temperature "unusually" sticking to the lower side. The minimum temperature recorded at 8.00 a.m. on Tuesday morning was 5 degrees Celsius. Though engulfed in fog, the visibility appeared to be better than Monday morning, with sight of Sun. The Air Quality has also improved in the national capital, however marginally, with Anand Vihar which is capital's most polluted zone, witnessing AQI of 372. Meanwhile, the IMD has predicted rain in Delhi-NCR on January 1 and January 3 night.
Earlier on Monday, the IMD had predicted: "It may be noted that at the Safdarjung Observatory, in the last 118 years (since 1901) the lowest maximum day temperature recorded was 11.3 degrees Celsius on December 28, 1997. It may be broken today (Monday) in the next 3 hours." By the end of the day on Monday, Delhi recorded its coldest day since 1901, with the maximum temperature plummeting to 9.4 degress C.
The unprecedented cold wave condition is likely to continue over to the new year, said IMD officials. Meanwhile, the air quality index (AQI) in the capital on Monday was 449 with particulate matter (PM) 2.5, the Met officials said.
Trains, flights hit
According to news agency ANI, 34 trains are running late on Tuesday due to low visibility in the Northern Railway region. Delays and cancellations in flights are also expected. Earlier on Monday, at least 16 flights were diverted and four cancelled from the Delhi airport due to heavy fog. More than 530 flights were delayed due to fog. Train travellers were also hit due to the fog, marring year-end holidays for some and urgent travel plans for others. Thirty trains were delayed by two to seven-and-a-half hours.
Delhi wakes up to chilly morning, rain on cards
Rain on cards
According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), Delhi-NCR is expected to witness light rain showers on New Year. Hail storm is also likely over the region on January 2. Rain is likely to lash eastern and western parts of Uttar Pradesh on December 31 and January 1, 2020. Cold wave conditions will continue to prevail in isolated pockets over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh & Delhi and West Uttar Pradesh. East Madhya Pradesh, East Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan will also reel under intense cold wave. Dense to very dense fog in isolated pockets very likely over Uttar Pradesh and dense fog in isolated pockets over Bihar, Assam & Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram & Tripura. Thunderstorm accompanied with lightning very likely at isolated places over Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha, Chhattisgarh and East Rajasthan.
IMD Forecast for New Year:
January 1
- Cold day to severe cold day conditions in isolated pockets very likely over Punjab, Haryana,
- Chandigarh & Delhi and West Uttar Pradesh; cold day conditions in isolated pockets over East Uttar Pradesh.
- Dense fog in isolated pockets very likely over Uttar Pradesh.
- Thunderstorm accompanied with hail & lightning very likely at isolated places over Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha and
- Chhattisgarh and with lightning at isolated places over East Rajasthan.
January 2
- Cold day conditions in isolated pockets very likely over Uttarakhand.
- Thunderstorm accompanied with hail & lightning very likely at isolated places over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh & Delhi,
- Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand and Odisha; with lightning at isolated places over Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha,
- Chhattisgarh, Gangetic West Bengal and Coastal Andhra Pradesh & Yanam.
January 3
- Cold day conditions in isolated pockets likely over Uttarakhand.
- Thunderstorm accompanied with hail & lightning likely at isolated places over Haryana, Chandigarh & Delhi, Gangetic
- West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh and with lightning at isolated places over Jharkhand, Odisha, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal &
- Sikkim, Assam & Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram & Tripura.
January 4
- Cold day conditions in isolated pockets likely over Uttarakhand.
- Thunderstorm accompanied with lightning at isolated places over Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal & Sikkim, Assam &
- Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram & Tripura.
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