Cold wave grips Delhi as minimum temperature drops to 3.2 deg C

New Delhi, Dec 20 (PTI) A cold wave swept Delhi on Monday with the minimum temperature at the Safdarjung Observatory, considered the official marker for the capital, dropping to 3.2 degrees Celsius, five notches below normal and the lowest so far this season.

Two "back-to-back" western disturbances and the resultant slowing down of cold northwesterly winds from Tuesday night will push the minimum temperature up, said R K Jenamani, a senior scientist at the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The automatic weather station at Jaffarpur village in west Delhi recorded a low of 2.9 degrees Celsius, six notches below normal.

The Lodhi Road weather station logged a minimum temperature of 3.1 degrees Celsius against the average of seven degrees Celsius.

Most of the other places recorded minimum temperatures between three degrees Celsius and six degrees Celsius, and at least three notches below normal, according to the IMD data.

The IMD has predicted cold wave to severe cold wave conditions in northwest India over the next two days.

"Cold wave to severe cold wave conditions are very likely to continue in some parts of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh during the next 24 hours and cold wave conditions are very likely at isolated pockets for the subsequent 24 hours," the IMD said in a bulletin released at 1:45 pm.

Jenamani said Delhi's minimum temperature is likely to rise to six to seven degrees Celsius under the influence of two "back-to-back" western disturbances between December 22 and December 25.

In the plains, the IMD declares a cold wave if the minimum temperature dips to 4 degrees Celsius. A cold wave is also declared when the minimum temperature is 10 degrees Celsius or below and is 4.5 notches less than normal.

A severe cold wave is when the minimum temperature dips to two degrees Celsius or the departure from normal is more than 6.4 degrees Celsius.

When the minimum temperature is less than or equal to 10 degrees Celsius and the maximum temperature is at least 4.5 degrees Celsius below normal, it is said to be a cold day. PTI GVS DIV DIV