Delhi shivers at 4.6℃ with...

The chill intensified as several parts of the city also reported trace rainfall in the early hours, adding to the wintry bite.

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Safdarjung and Lodhi Road recorded trace rainfall during the last 24 hours till 8.30 am, while Ayanagar received 0.8 mm of rain. No rainfall was recorded at Palam and the Ridge station during the same period.Station-wise temperatures showed wide spread of cold conditions in the national capital. While Safdarjung recorded 4.6 degrees, Palam logged 5.0 degrees Celsius (1.5 degrees below normal) and Lodhi Road registered 5.2 degrees Celsius (0.8 degrees below normal). The Ridge station reported a minimum of 5.4 degrees Celsius (1.2 degrees below normal). Ayanagar, among the listed stations, recorded one of the sharpest dips with a minimum of 4.8 degrees Celsius, also 1.2 degrees below the seasonal average.

The Regional Weather Forecasting Centre said drizzle is likely at a few places in Delhi, naming Akshardham, Lodhi Road, Nehru Stadium, R K Puram, Defence Colony, Lajpat Nagar, Tughlakabad, IGNOU, Ayanagar and Deramandi among the areas expected to see light precipitation.

Despite the sharp fall in temperatures, the India Meteorological Department said cold wave conditions in the capital are yet to become severe. "It is a chilly morning but no cold wave conditions are threatening yet," an IMD official said. The maximum temperature in Delhi is expected to hover around 17 degrees Celsius.

The latest reading follows a series of cold mornings in the city. Thursday marked the third coldest morning of the season with a minimum temperature of 5.8 degrees Celsius at Safdarjung, 1.1 degrees below normal. Earlier this winter, the second-lowest minimum temperature was recorded on December 4 and 5 at 5.6 degrees Celsius, followed by December 1 when it stood at 5.7 degrees Celsius.