Delhi shivers as cold wave continues, air quality slips to 'very poor' category

Delhi remained gripped by intense cold as temperatures dipped further, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicting similar weather conditions to continue on Tuesday (January 13). The national capital experienced cold wave conditions for the second straight day, making Monday the coldest day in January so far since 2023. While the city’s maximum temperature hovered near normal levels, the minimum temperature dropped sharply, underscoring the severity of the chill.

Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 20.6 degrees Celsius, slightly above the seasonal average. In contrast, the minimum temperature plunged to 3.2 degrees Celsius, over four degrees below normal. The last time the capital witnessed a colder January night was on January 11, 2023, when the mercury fell to 1.4 degrees Celsius. Across weather stations, daytime temperatures largely stayed below average. Safdarjung Observatory, the city’s primary weather station, reported a maximum of 18.8 degrees Celsius. Palam registered a notably lower daytime temperature of 15.4 degrees Celsius, while Lodhi Road and Ridge also recorded sub-normal readings. Ayanagar followed a similar trend, according to IMD data.

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Night-time temperatures reflected the cold wave’s intensity. Minimum temperatures across Delhi dipped close to or below 4 degrees Celsius. Safdarjung and Ayanagar both recorded 3.2 degrees Celsius, Palam logged 3.3 degrees, and Lodhi Road dipped to 3.0 degrees. Ridge recorded a minimum of 4.2 degrees Celsius. A day earlier, on Sunday, Safdarjung had reported a minimum of 4.8 degrees Celsius. Cold wave conditions were observed at isolated locations, including Palam, Ridge, and Ayanagar. IMD officials confirmed this marked the first cold wave spell in Delhi during the current winter season.

The weather department has forecast mainly clear skies, with moderate fog across several areas and dense fog in isolated pockets during morning hours. Cold wave conditions are likely to persist at a few locations. Temperatures on Tuesday are expected to range between 4 and 20 degrees Celsius. Meanwhile, air quality in Delhi continued to remain a concern. The city’s 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 297, placing it in the ‘poor’ category. Evening readings showed deterioration, with several monitoring stations slipping into the ‘very poor’ range. Anand Vihar recorded the highest AQI at 343.

Pollution data from the Decision Support System (DSS) indicated that vehicular emissions were the largest contributor to Delhi’s pollution, followed by industrial sources within Delhi and surrounding areas. Contributions also came from waste burning, construction activities, and residential emissions.

Among neighbouring districts, Jhajjar emerged as the biggest contributor to regional pollution, followed by Bhiwani, Rohtak, Gurugram, and Sonipat. Forecasts from the Air Quality and Weather Services (AQWS) suggest that Delhi’s air quality is likely to remain in the ‘very poor’ category from January 13 to January 15, with no significant improvement expected over the following days. Nehru Nagar recorded the worst AQI reading at 344.