Delhi will see a rise in temperatures over the next few days.
Parts of India will be hotter by up to six degrees soon, the weather office predicted today, as residents of Delhi woke up to the unusual sight of a blanket of fog covering the city's skyline in the hottest month of the year.
Temperatures are expected to rise by 4-6 degrees over the next three days in northwest India, though the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said no heat wave conditions were likely over most parts of the country during the next five days.
The hilly states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand reportedly witnessed a huge jump of 4 to 7 degrees Celsius in their maximum temperatures on Thursday.
Central India is likely to see a gradual rise by 4-6 degrees in maximum temperatures over the next five days, while east India will not see any significant change in maximum temperatures during the next 24 hours and a rise by 3-5 degrees thereafter, the weather office said.
The west is also unlikely to see any significant change in maximum temperatures the next two days and rise by 2-4 degrees thereafter, it said.
The weather advisory comes amid a decline in the minimum temperature to 15.8 degrees Celsius in Delhi, accompanied by the fog, which reduced visibility to less than a kilometre in some areas, making it the third-coldest morning in May since 1901, according to the IMD.
The IMD said that the fog was caused by high humidity, calm winds and a large difference between day and night temperatures, which are favourable conditions for fog formation.
Delhi's residents, who are used to sultry and scorching weather in May, expressed their surprise and delight over the foggy and cool morning on social media.
"Fog on a May morning in Delhi. Never ever before have I experienced this in over 4 decades of living in this city. This is surreal!" tweeted journalist Smita Prakash.
"Fog in Delhi on a summer morning! Same time last year, we were in a heat wave!" posted Sudhakar Mahindrakar, a lawyer.