At a time when the protesting farmers have decided to intensify their agitation against the Centre’s farm laws, a cold wave has swept Delhi as it recorded the coldest morning of the season so far at 3.4 degrees Celsius, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
On Saturday, the minimum temperature at the Safdarjung Observatory, which provides representative data for the city, had settled at 3.9 degrees Celsius.
According to an IMD official, “The observatory recorded a minimum of 3.4 degrees Celsius, five notches below the normal, on Sunday morning. The maximum temperature is likely to settle around 22 degrees Celsius.”
The IMD said that the mercury dipped to 3.3 degrees Celsius at Lodhi Road, as icy winds from snow-laden Western Himalayas barrelled through the city. On Friday, the minimum temperature had plunged to 2.7 degrees Celsius at Jafarpur. The city had recorded a ‘severe’ cold day on Thursday as the maximum temperature dropped to 15.2 degrees Celsius, seven notches below normal and the lowest this season so far. However, it rose to 19.8 degrees Celsius on Friday and 21.8 degrees Celsius on Saturday.
As per the IMD, a ‘cold day’ is when the minimum temperature is less than 10 degrees Celsius and the maximum is at least 4.4 degrees Celsius below the normal. A severe cold day is when the maximum temperature is at least 6.5 notches below the normal. As far as the plains are concerned, the IMD declares a cold wave when the minimum temperature is 10 degrees Celsius or below and is 4.5 notches less than the normal for two consecutive days.
However, for small areas such as Delhi, a cold wave can be declared if the criteria is fulfilled even for a day, officials said. The minimum temperature is expected to hover around 5 degrees Celsius in the next five to six days, it added. Covid, pollution, protests and cold wave. Something or other is haunting the capital.