Delhi is gearing up for another spell of winter rain, commencing from Wednesday evening. Intermittent but widespread rain will continue till January 23, bringing down day temperatures once again. January is the rainiest winter month for Delhi but the city has received just 12.5 mm of rain so far. With this spell of rain, Delhi could reach or exceed the monthly average of 21 mm of rain.
Over the next 3 days, night temperatures might touch double digits while day temperatures will come down to 16°C or less. Cold day conditions will make a comeback on January 22, while dense fog could make an appearance by the coming weekend.
The Western Disturbance moving across the higher reaches of Jammu & Kashmir combined with the cyclonic circulation over Rajasthan and adjoining areas could be attributed to this spell of rain. Under the influence of these systems, winds have already changed across the northern plains to become southeasterlies. Fog has become shallow and minimum temperatures have risen. On Tuesday morning, Safdarjung Observatory recorded 9.8°C as the minimum temperature.
This year winter has not been excruciating or very cruel to Delhiites. Delhi frequently experienced cold day conditions but cold wave was missing, except for a couple of days. The lowest temperature was 2.6°C, recorded on December 28. Delhi is famous for its ‘sardi’ and weather has been nothing unusual this year. Even the fog has mostly been on the better side with extended duration witnessed only on two occasions. Except for the Yamuna pile-up case, there have been only minor fog related accidents.
