Residents of Delhi-NCR woke up to another cold morning on Monday, with the minimum temperature dipping below 5°C for the second consecutive day. The Air Quality Index (AQI) also worsened, moving into the ‘very poor’ category.
On Monday morning, Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 4.5°C at 5:30 am, with some areas experiencing even lower temperatures. Pusa saw temperatures drop to 3.5°C, while Ayanagar recorded 4°C. Najafgarh had a slightly higher minimum temperature of 6.2°C. This follows a low of 4.9°C on December 15.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted that the cold wave may intensify in the coming days, with shallow fog expected due to calm winds and high humidity. Additionally, the IMD has issued cold wave alerts for several northern states, including Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, and western Uttar Pradesh.
A cold wave is declared when the minimum temperature falls to 4°C or below, or when it drops by 4.5 to 6.4°C below normal. The capital has been experiencing freezing mornings, with people bundling up to face the biting cold.
In addition to the cold, Delhi’s air quality deteriorated to the ‘very poor’ category, with the AQI recorded at 334 at 4 am on Monday. The AQI had risen to 307 on Sunday evening, up from 294 earlier, crossing the threshold into the ‘very poor’ range. The AQI scale categorizes air quality as follows: 0-50 (good), 51-100 (satisfactory), 101-200 (moderate), 201-300 (poor), 301-400 (very poor), and 401-500 (severe).
