Delhi records first cold day of the year chill likely to persist

New Delhi, Jan 6 (PTI) Delhi recorded its first cold day of the year on Tuesday as maximum temperatures dipped sharply, bringing a noticeable chill to the national capital. Similar conditions are likely to persist on Wednesday.
     The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said maximum temperatures were observed in the range of 13 degrees Celsius to 16 degrees Celsius, with cold day conditions recorded at Palam and Lodhi Road.
     According to the IMD, cold day conditions are declared when the maximum temperature remains 4.5 degrees Celsius to 6.4 degrees Celsius below normal.
     The maximum temperature in the national capital on Tuesday was recorded at 15.7 degrees Celsius, which was 3.3 notches below the seasonal average, while the minimum temperature settled at 7.6 degrees Celsius, 0.7 notches above normal.
     Station-wise data showed that the maximum temperature at Safdarjung was 15.7 degrees Celsius, 3.3 notches below normal, while Palam logged a maximum of 13 degrees Celsius, 5.7 notches below normal.
     Lodhi Road recorded 15.8 degrees Celsius, 5.2 notches below normal, Ridge 14.9 degrees Celsius, 1.6 notches below normal, and Ayanagar 14 degrees Celsius, 2.9 notches below normal, the IMD said.
     The minimum temperature in the national capital stood at 7.6 degrees Celsius at Safdarjung, Lodhi Road, Ridge and Ayanagar, while Palam recorded a slightly lower minimum temperature of 6.5 degrees Celsius during the morning hours. The minimum temperature at Safdarjung was 0.7 notches above normal.
     Relative humidity levels remained high, with humidity recorded at 100 per cent in the morning and 91 per cent in the evening, according to IMD data.
     The weather office has forecast dense fog during the morning hours on Wednesday and issued a yellow alert. The maximum and minimum temperatures on Wednesday are expected to be around 16 degrees Celsius and 7 degrees Celsius, respectively, with cold day conditions likely to continue.
     Meanwhile, Delhi’s air quality deteriorated further, with the 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) slipping to 310, placing it in the ‘very poor’ category, worsening from 244 recorded on Monday.
     Data from the Central Pollution Control Board’s Sameer app showed that 27 stations recorded ‘very poor’ air quality, 10 were in the ‘poor’ category and one station logged ‘moderate’ air quality, with Mundka recording the worst AQI at 369 in the evening.
     According to the CPCB classification, an AQI between zero and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 to 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 to 200 ‘moderate’, 201 to 300 ‘poor’, 301 to 400 ‘very poor’ and 401 to 500 ‘severe’.
     The Decision Support System indicated that Delhi’s pollution load was led by transport at 14.9 per cent, followed by peripheral industries at 12.2 per cent, residential sources at 3.7 per cent, construction at 1.9 per cent and waste burning at one per cent.
     Among NCR districts, Sonipat contributed 13.2 per cent, followed by Jhajjar at 12.1 per cent, Rohtak and Meerut at 4.4 per cent each, Panipat at 4.1 per cent and Gurugram at 1.1 per cent.
     The Air Quality Early Warning System has forecast that Delhi’s air quality is likely to remain in the ‘very poor’ category from January 7 to January 9 and is expected to stay in the same range over the subsequent six days.
     During the morning hours on Tuesday, Delhi’s air quality was in the ‘poor’ category, with an average AQI of 293.
     Station-wise data showed Chandni Chowk recorded the worst air quality at 352 in the ‘very poor’ category, while 20 stations were in the ‘very poor’ range, 15 in the ‘poor’ category and two recorded ‘moderate’ air quality.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)