The India Meteorological Department predicted a minimum temperature of 9 degrees Celsius for the day, with a maximum temperature of 19 degrees Celsius. Delhi, Noida, and other locations in the national capital region (NCR) awoke to layers of dense fog on Wednesday as cold wave conditions intensified across northern India, affecting visibility in the city.
In several areas, visibility was nearly zero, which could potentially disrupt flight and train services. The weather department also forecast a generally cloudy sky with light rain or drizzle for Delhi.
Minimum temperatures in Delhi, Haryana, Chandigarh, and Uttar Pradesh are “appreciably above normal” (3°C to 5°C) in a few isolated locations, according to an IMD release. Additionally, according to the weather department’s forecast, the morning’s main surface wind would be from the southeast and would not exceed 4 kmph.
It said the wind speed will gradually increase to 6-8 kmph from south in the afternoon, before falling to less than 4 kmph from the northeast during the evening and night hours. Smog or shallow to moderate fog is probable in the evening and night, the IMD reported.
Homeless individuals were observed taking refuge in night shelters to avoid the extremely cold weather conditions in Delhi. Sleeping people were observed in the shelters with blankets given to them.
Dense to very dense fog conditions are also expected to persist during the night and early morning hours in some parts of West and East Uttar Pradesh, while IMD’s bulletin stated that there will be a gradual increase in temperature by 2-3 degrees Celsius over the next three days.
In the meantime, Haryana Chandigarh, east and west Rajasthan, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh are likely to experience dense fog conditions until January 18 and until January 19, respectively. Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 21.2 degrees Celsius, which is 1.3 degrees above normal, while the minimum temperature was 8.9 degrees Celsius, which is 1.5 degrees above normal.