‘Coldest’ R-Day in 5 yrs; IMD forecasts rain today

Mercury dipped to as low as 3.6°C in parts of Delhi on Monday as isolated coldwave conditions were recorded across the capital, even as air quality deteriorated to the “poor” category, snapping a rare two-day streak of “moderate” air in January.

- Jasjeev Gandhiok

The capital logged its coldest Republic Day in five years on Monday, with temperatures last falling this low in 2021 at 2.1°C.

Officials said the sharp dip in minimum temperature was caused by clear skies and sustained icy northwesterly winds over the weekend. However, wind speeds weakened during the day on Monday due to the approach of a western disturbance, which is expected to raise temperatures and bring light rain to the city on Tuesday.

Delhi’s 24-hour average air quality index stood at 241 at 4pm on Monday, compared with 153 at the same time on Sunday, according to Central Pollution Control Board data. Sunday's reading was also Delhi’s lowest AQI for January in four years.

The India Meteorological Department has issued a yellow alert for Delhi-NCR for Tuesday, forecasting one to two spells of light rain in the city, accompanied by gusty winds of up to 40 km per hour. Officials said the weather system is likely to help keep air quality in check. Fresh snowfall is expected in the higher reaches.