Delhi records coldest December since 1901 as minimum temperature drops to 2.4 degree
Saurabh Kumar
Delhi records coldest December since 1901 as minimum temperature drops to 2.4 degre
New Delhi: The National Capital on Saturday recorded its coldest day of the season as the minimum temperature plummeted to 2.4 degrees Celsius in the morning, officials said. Dense fog enveloped the city reducing visibility and affecting air traffic and vehicular movement in the streets.
Mercury fell to its lowest in Delhi this season with the Safdarjung Observatory, whose reading is considered the official marking for the city, recording 2.4 degrees Celsius in the morning. Other observatories recorded as follows: Palam 3.1 degrees Celsius, Lodhi Road 1.7 degrees Celsius, Aya Nagar 1.9 degrees Celsius, a senior MeT Department official said.
Zero visibility was reported in Palam Observatory area, which neighbours the city airport. Due to heavy fog on Saturday morning, four flights have been diverted from Delhi airport, said an airport official.
The official said that the flights are operating at the airport under CAT III B conditions, which means that the runway visual range (RVR) is between 50 metre and 175 metres.
Since 14 December, most parts of the city have witnessed 13 consecutive “cold days” or a 13-day “cold spell”. The last time such a long cold spell was witnessed was in December 1997.
After 1992, Delhi has had cold spells only in four years – 1997, 1998, 2003 and 2014. “Severe cold day/cold day” conditions are predicted till 29 December.