Delhi is braced for colder days as the minimum temperature is expected to drop sharply by Friday due to fresh snowfall in the mountains, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast. The city is also likely to see light rain over the weekend as fresh unrest in the west affects the region from Saturday, officials said.

However, on Tuesday the minimum temperature was 10.5°C, four degrees above normal. The temperature is expected to drop to 6°C by Thursday and 5°C by Friday. The lowest minimum temperature recorded so far this season was on December 12, when it fell to 4.5°C.

The IMD has also issued a yellow warning until Friday and forecast that moderate to dense fog will continue to prevail in the region, accompanied by cold northwesterly winds, leading to cold daytime conditions in isolated areas. The maximum temperature was now 16.2 °C, three degrees below normal. The maximum temperature is expected to be around 16°C by Thursday before rising slightly to 18°C ​​by Friday.

The IMD classifies it as a “cold day” when the maximum temperature is 4.5°C or more below normal and the minimum temperature is also below 10°C. On Tuesday, no weather station in the city met these criteria.

“There is a possibility of isolated stations recording cold days as the maximum temperature in parts of the city varies between 14-16°C and the minimum temperature is also below 10°C,” an IMD official said.

According to IMD, there was moderate to dense fog in Delhi on Tuesday with the lowest visibility of 150 meters at Palam around 3:30 am. Visibility between 500 and 1,000 meters is considered “flat” fog, between 200 and 500 meters as “moderate” and below 200 meters as “dense” fog.

Mahesh Palawat, Vice President, Skymet, said cold northwesterly winds are constantly blowing in the city, creating a chilly effect even during the day. “Even when the sun is shining, these winds increase the chill factor and keep the maximum low. The minimum will also drop sharply again,” he added, explaining that temperatures are expected to rise again from Saturday as a new unrest approaches in the West.

“The winds will ease again over the weekend but the plains, including Delhi-NCR, will see cloudy conditions and light rains again. The minimum is expected to rise during this period, but the maximum should remain low,” he said.

The lowest maximum recorded so far this season was 14.6°C on December 27th.

Historical data shows that the minimum in January can fall between 1 and 3 °C. In January last year the lowest low was 3.3°C (January 15th). In 2023 it was 1.4°C on January 16th. The lowest low in the last decade was 1.1°C on January 1, 2021.

The IMD, in its forecast for the months of January, February and March released on January 1, had said that northern India is most likely to witness below normal rainfall (<86 % der LPA). Im Januar werde es in Nordindien jedoch wahrscheinlich überdurchschnittliche Niederschläge geben (>122% of LPA), it said.

Meanwhile, the temperature forecast for January shows that the monthly minimum temperature is expected to be above normal in many parts of the country, except some parts of east, northwest and west central India. The monthly maximum in January is also likely to be above normal in most parts of the country, except for some areas in northwest, central and adjoining eastern India, it said.