Delhi woke up to a very cold morning on the first day of 2023 with limited visibility. While the minimum temperature had settled at 10.2°C on Saturday, Sunday’s minimum was 5.5°C at the exact temperature for Sunday is yet to be known.
A cold wave is expected for parts of North India, including Delhi-NCR with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) saying icy winds from the Himalayas will bring the minimum temperature down by three to five degrees Celsius in the plains of northwest India. “Dense fog is likely to continue over the region during the next 4-5 days. A fresh cold wave spell is likely to commence over northwest India from January 1,” IMD said in a statement on Saturday.
Earlier, the weather department had confirmed that temperature would go as low as 4°C by January 2. The mercury was expected to drop to eight degrees Celsius on Saturday and further to four degrees Celsius by Monday (January 2). Dense fog and cold wave conditions are predicted in parts of Delhi from January 1 to 5, according to the IMD.
On Saturday, the relative humidity recorded at 8:30 am was 90 per cent, it said. The maximum temperature is likely to hover around 21 degrees Celsius in the national capital.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted partly cloudy skies during the day with dense fog in the morning.
Visibility at Palam dropped down to 250 m for a short span of time during 1 am to 2 am and improved again becoming 800 m at 6 am. Visibility was less than 200 m at 5:30 am over Bhatinda, Chandigarh-50 m, Ambala-25 m, Bareilly-25 m, Lucknow-25 m, Varanasi-50 m, Patna-25 m, and Gaya-50 m, according to IMD. Delhi’s minimum temperature rose to double digits for the first time in 15 days on Friday, but the respite is predicted to end soon.
Let’s Look at All Weather-Related Developments
Below 10 Degrees Min Temperature in All Major Cities of Rajasthan
Cold conditions prevailed in most parts of Rajasthan where all major cities recorded minimum temperature below 10 degrees Celsius, the MeT department said on Sunday.
At 1 degree Celsius, Fatehpur of Sikar was the coldest on Saturday night, followed by Churu, which recorded the minimum temperature of 1.6 degrees Celsius.
Hanumangarh and Chittorgarh recorded 3.3 degrees, Sikar 3.5 degrees, Bhilwara 4 degrees, Karauli 4.2 degrees, Alwar and Pilani 4.8 degrees, Dabok 6 degrees, Phalodi 6.2, and Anta 6.3 degrees Celsius.
Other places recorded minimum temperatures between 6.5 degrees and 10 degrees Celsius.
Shallow to moderate fog engulfed a number of places in the state. Some places were reported to be weathering a cold to severe cold wave.
The weather remained dry in the state, said the MeT department said.
Delhi-NCR: Ban on Coal, Other Unapproved Fuels Comes into Force — this has also come
A stringent ban on the use of coal and other unapproved fuels in industries and commercial establishments came into force in Delhi-NCR on Sunday, with officials saying defaulting units will be closed down without any warning. However, the use of low-sulphur coal in thermal power plants is allowed, the central government’s Commission for Air Quality Management said (CAQM).
The ban is part of a comprehensive policy released by the CAQM in July last year. The policy lists sector-wise action plans to curb air pollution in Delhi-NCR in the next five years.
Authorities have been directed to close down industries and commercial establishments using unapproved fuels, including coal, without giving them any show-cause notice.
A heavy fine will be levied on the defaulting units, a CAQM official said.
Minimum Temperature Drops to 5.5 Deg Celsius in Delhi
The minimum temperature in the national capital on Sunday dipped to 5.5 degrees Celsius, two notches below the season’s average, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
The minimum temperature in the city was recorded at 10.7 and 10.2 degrees Celsius on Friday and Saturday. A drop in visibility too was recorded in several parts of the country.
Visibility in Ambala, Dehradun, Bareilly, and Varanasi was recorded at 25 metres at 5.30 am. While in Chandigarh, Patiala, Baharaich, Gaya, Purnea, Kailashahar, and Agartala, it was recorded at 50 metres, officials said.
According to the IMD, ‘very dense’ fog is when visibility is between 0 and 50 metres, 51 and 200 metres is ‘dense’, 201 and 500 metres ‘moderate’, and 501 and 1,000 metres ‘shallow’.
Cold, dry weather likely in J&K during next 24 hrs
Weather was partly cloudy in J&K during the last 24 hours as the Meteorological (MeT) office said on Sunday that cold, dry weather is likely to continue.
“Weather is expected to remain cold and dry with clear sky during the next 24 hours in J&K. “Minimum temperatures are likely to drop further during this perioda,” an official of the MeT department said.
Srinagar had 0.5, Pahalgam minus 9.4 and Gulmarg minus 8.2 degrees Celsius as the minimum temperature. Jammu had 5.7, Katra 6, Batote minus 0.3, Banihal 2.2 and Bhaderwah minus 0.8.
Last Day Of The Year Recorded 10.7°C
The Safdarjung observatory, the city’s primary weather station, on Saturday recorded a minimum temperature of 10.7 degrees Celsius, four notches above normal. It was also the highest minimum temperature this month.
With the western disturbance retreating by Saturday, cold wave and cold day conditions are predicted to wallop parts of Delhi in early January, meteorologists said.
The mercury will drop to 8 degrees Celsius on Saturday and further to 4 degrees Celsius by January 2. Dense fog and cold wave conditions are predicted in parts of Delhi from January 1 to 5, according to the meteorological department.
Mercury Drops in Parts of Rajasthan, Cold Wave Predicted
The minimum temperature dropped by two to four degrees Celsius in the last 24 hours in parts of Rajasthan, a MeT department spokesperson said. The lowest minimum temperature in the state was recorded at Phalodi at 4.4 degree Celsius on Friday night.
According to the MeT department, dense fog was witnessed in some parts of Bikaner, Jaipur and Bharatpur divisions on Saturday and the minimum temperature has dropped by two to four degrees Celsius at most places.
The minimum temperature is likely to drop by two to three degree Celsius in the next 48 hours and a cold wave is likely to be witnessed in the state in the coming days, they said.
There is a possibility of dense fog at some places in the western and northern parts of the state for the next two days, they said.
(With PTI inputs)
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