Delhi faces bone-chilling cold as mercury dips to 3.5 degrees Celsius

The minimum temperature in Delhi was recorded at 3.5 degrees Celsius Thursday night, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. According to the IMD, northern states including Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh will continue to witness the blast of the winter chill for the next two days, following which the mercury will start to rise.

Icy winds are blowing towards the northern plains from the snow-clad western Himalayan range of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, the weather department said.

The IMD predicted cold day to severe cold day conditions in some to many pockets over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, north Rajasthan and northwest Uttar Pradesh during the next 2 days and decrease thereafter.

The national capital recorded the lowest minimum temperature of the season so far with mercury dipping to 3.5 degrees Celsius on Thursday.

"Ridge observatory has recorded the minimum temperature of 3.5 degrees Celsius. The cold wave condition will persist till December 18, following which the temperature will rise up a notch," IMD's regional forecasting centre head, Kuldeep Srivastava told IANS.

The IMD designates days as cold wave days in the plains if the minimum temperature is 10 degrees Celsius or lower and at the same time, 4.5 degrees or more below the average



minimum temperature for the day for two consecutive days.

There will be, however, no significant change in minimum and maximum temperatures over northwest India during next two days and a rise by 2-3 degree Celsius in minimum temperatures and 5-6 degree Celsius in maximum temperatures during subsequent three days.

"Fall in minimum temperatures by 3-5 degree Celsius over east Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha and Chhattisgarh and by 4-6 degree Celsius over east India during next 3 days," the IMD stated, adding that there will be fall in minimum temperatures by 2-3 degree Celsius over west India during next 48 hours.

No significant change in minimum temperatures will be witnessed over remaining parts of the country during next two days. Dense fog will be there in isolated pockets over Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram during next three days.

Under the influence of the easterly wave, scattered to fairly widespread rain or thundershowers very likely over Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Karaikal, Kerala, Mahe and Lakshadweep area during next three days.

"Isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall very likely over Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Karaikal on 17th December and isolated heavy falls on 18th and 19th December and over Kerala and Mahe on 18th December and over Lakshadweep on 19th and 20th December," the weather agency added.