Delhi weather, temperature today: Cold wave sweeps national capital as temperature plunges to 1.4 degrees Celsius, IMD issues orange alert; trains hit

Delhi weather, temperature today: A punishing cold wave swept Delhi on Monday morning with the minimum temperature at the Safdarjung observatory, the city's base station, plunging to 1.4 degrees Celsius, the lowest in the month since January 1, 2021.

The weather station at Lodhi Road, where the India Meteorological Department (IMD) headquarter is located, recorded a minimum temperature of 1.6 degrees Celsius. 

Delhi shivers as Lodhi Road records a minimum temperature of 1.6 degrees Celsius while Safdarjung records a 1.4 degrees Celsius minimum temperature today, as per the IMD.

(Representational image) pic.twitter.com/giOJXMWfyD

— ANI (@ANI) January 16, 2023

IMD Issues Orange Alert 

The IMD has issued an orange warning for cold wave in Delhi till January 17-18. Delhi saw an intense cold wave spell from January 5 to January 9, the second longest in the month in a decade, according to IMD data. It has also recorded over 50 hours of dense fog this month so far, which is the highest since 2019.

In the plains, a cold wave is declared if the minimum temperature dips to 4 degrees Celsius or when it is 10 degrees Celsius and 4.5 notches below normal. A severe cold wave is when the minimum temperature dips to two degrees Celsius or the departure from the normal limits is by more than 6.4 notches.

Train services hit

The Indian Railways informed on Monday that as many as 13 trains are running late in the Northern Railway region due to fog.

Meanwhile, over North India, cold wave to severe cold wave conditions are very likely over many parts of Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi till January 17 and thereafter in isolated pockets on January 18.

In view of the severe cold, the district administration in Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur decided to shut schools till January 17, and the district administration in Meerut ordered passed the same order but till class 8.

And the Union Territory of Chandigarh has also extended the winter break for students up to eighth standard keeping in view the stern cold and fog spell in the region. Notably, IMD has predicted dense fog and low visibility over the northwestern part of the country for the next five days.

On Saturday, the weather department predicted dense to very dense fog over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar during the next five days. 

Due to northwesterly winds from the Himalayas over the plains of northwest India, minimum temperatures are very likely to fall by 2-4 degree Celsius over the northwest and adjoining central India during the next two days, the IMD predicted.

Also Read | Click Here For Latest Updates On Stock Market | Zee Business Live