Cold tightens grip Delhi, minimum temperature at 10.8 °C

Delhi cold weather today: The cold extended its grip in Delhi on Tuesday, with the minimum temperature recorded at 10.8 degrees Celsius at Palam amid the biting chill prevailing in the entire North Indian belt. As the nattional capital woke up to a chilly morning, Sri Krishan, who has been in the habit of taking a stroll near the India Gate for the last 50 years, said the prevailing cold, combined with fog and pollution, is adding to the distress of locals battling asthma or other respiratory problems.

"Temperature (24-hr Tendency ) over Delhi recorded at 0530 hrs IST of today, The 19th Dec.: Palam: 10.8 (-0.4) Safdarjung: 10.2 (+2.2)," a post on the official X handle of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) read on Tuesday. Dense fog also engulfed vast swathes of the national capital amid the biting cold on Tuesday morning.

"Owing to the cold weather and persistent pollution, locals, especially asthma patients, are grappling with problems. Climate change is also contributing to the prevailing weather in the city," Shubh Bhargav, another resident said.

"My health has been brittle since the Covid-19 pandemic. My body tends to tire quickly while walking," another youth told ANI, pointing to pollution as one of the critical contributors to the indifferent air quality in the national capital.

Earlier, a minimum temperature of 6.8 degrees Celsius was recorded by the IMD at Delhi's Lodhi Road on Monday morning. The Safdarjung area logged a minimum temperature of 7.1 degrees, which was 1 degree below the normal for this time of the year, on Monday. The minimum temperature is predicted to range between 5 degrees and 8 degrees over this week, with Friday, December 22, being predicted to have the lowest temperature at 5 degrees, according to the MeT.

(With ANI inputs)