Delhi temperature dropped to 4.2 degrees Celsius.
A numbing cold wave continues to sweep through Delhi-NCR with today being season's coldest day. Delhi temperature dropped to 4.2 degrees Celsius and and maximum temperature was recorded to be 13.4 degrees Celsius today, reported news agency ANI. The city is likely to record its longest cold spell in December after 1997 as temperatures are predicted to drop further, the weather department said.
Many areas in the city have seen 13 consecutive "cold days" since December 14, the last time such a long cold spell was witnessed in 1997 when it recorded 17 cold days.
"A "cold day" is when the maximum temperature is at least 4.5 notches below the normal. A "severe cold day" is when the maximum temperature is at least 6.5 degrees Celsius below the normal," Kuldeep Srivastava, head of the India Meteorological Department's regional forecasting centre, was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
In December this year, the mean maximum temperature till Thursday was 19.85 degrees Celsius. It is expected to dip to 19.15 degrees Celsius by December 31, a weather official said.
Not just Delhi, neighbouring Noida, Ghaziabad, Faridabad and Gurugram are also under the grip of severe cold wave.
The weather office said the cold day to severe cold day conditions will continue in the city till December 28, along with dense to very dense fog in night and morning hours.
(With Inputs From ANI, PTI)