The base observatory at Safdarjung recorded a minimum temperature of under 5°C, for the first time in this season. The minimum today was 4.9°C, below normal by about 4.7°C. The maximum temperature also was under 25°C, at 23°C and below normal by about 2°C. The airport observatory at Palam registered a maximum of 20.1°C, about 5°C below the average. As the minimum temperature was 6.2°C, more than 4°C below the normal, it nearly amounted to cold day conditions. The lowest minimum temperature in the region was recorded by Ayanagar, 3.8°C, a massive 6°C below the normal. It was the first cold wave conditions for the official record observatory at Safdarjung.
For the plains, a cold wave is declared when the minimum temperature is 10°C or below and is 4.5°C less than the normal for two consecutive days. However, for small areas such as Delhi, even if, the criteria are fulfilled for a day, cold waves can be considered. The second criterion for the cold wave is when the minimum temperature drops to 4°C or less for the plains.
Following snowfall in the mountains, the cold winds are sweeping down the slopes and the temperatures are dipping. There is a Western Disturbance, still moving across the mountains and the weather activity, confining to the hills, will continue for the next two days. Therefore, the temperatures may not be plummeting further for this duration. However, following clearance of weather in the hills, the temperatures may plunge further across the plains of North India. Delhi remains at risk of slipping to under 5°C on the weekend and roll over to the next week, as well. The lowest temperatures in December are generally recorded in the last week of the month. Since 2009, the lowest temperature in Delhi was 2.4°C, recorded on 30 Dec 2013 and 28 Dec 2019. Last year, the lowest temperature in December was 4.9 °C, recorded on 15 Dec.
