Delhi hits 2.9°C, coldest night in three years; dense fog disrupts life

Delhi recorded its coldest night in three years as the minimum temperature at Safdarjung, the city’s primary weather station, fell to 2.9 degrees Celsius. India Meteorological Department (IMD) data show the capital last saw a lower minimum on January 18, 2023, when temperatures dipped to 2.6 degrees Celsius.

Severe winter conditions continued to grip the city, with dense to very dense fog disrupting daily life and reducing visibility, according to the IMD’s latest daily bulletin. The weather office said fog is very likely during morning and night hours in Delhi until January 16, with dense fog expected in isolated areas through January 19.

At 5:30 am on Thursday, visibility at Palam airport dropped to around 50 metres, while Safdarjung reported visibility of about 100 metres. Visuals shared by news agency ANI showed thick fog blanketing large parts of the city.

Minimum temperatures remained low across Delhi, with Safdarjung at 2.9 degrees Celsius. Other stations recorded 4.5 degrees at the Ridge, 2.3 degrees at Palam, 2.7 degrees at Ayanagar and 3.4 degrees at Lodi Road.

Cold conditions extended across the National Capital Region. In Gurugram, an automatic weather station recorded a minimum temperature of 0.8 degrees Celsius early Wednesday, a sharp drop of 2.4 degrees over the previous 24 hours. Faridabad, however, saw no change, with the minimum holding steady at 4.2 degrees Celsius.

The IMD said yellow alerts and weather warnings in place for Gurugram are likely to continue, though conditions may begin to improve. Temperatures across the region are expected to rise by 2 to 3 degrees Celsius over the next two to three days, gradually returning toward normal levels, a senior IMD official said.

Visibility remained poor during the early hours, dropping to about 300 metres in outer areas around 3 am before improving slightly to 350 metres by 8:30 am.

While the average minimum temperature across Haryana rose marginally by 0.3 degrees Celsius compared to the previous day, it remains 3.2 degrees below normal. The lowest minimum temperature in the state was recorded at 0.4 degrees Celsius in Saragthal.