Delhi experienced its first cold wave of the season on Saturday as temperatures dipped sharply, marking the coldest December day of the year so far. The maximum temperature plunged to 16.9 degrees Celsius,
5.3 degrees below the seasonal average, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
The national capital remained under thick clouds and a persistent grey haze through the day, preventing sunlight from breaking through, causing major disruptions at Delhi airport, where at least 129 flights were cancelled, news agency PTI reported, citing officials.
For the first time this winter, Delhi met the IMD’s ‘cold wave day’ criteria, with two of its five monitoring stations — Safdarjung and Palam — recording cold wave conditions. Safdarjung reported a maximum temperature of 16.9 degrees Celsius, while Palam recorded an even lower high of 16.3 degrees Celsius, which was 5.6 degrees below normal, news agency PTI reported citing the IMD.
The weather agency declares cold wave conditions when the negative departure from the normal maximum temperature ranges between 4.5 and 6.4 degrees Celsius.
In comparison, the lowest maximum temperature recorded in December stood at 14.6 degrees Celsius in 2024, 15.9 degrees in 2023, and 15.6 degrees in 2022, IMD data showed.
The minimum temperature on Saturday settled at 6.1 degrees Celsius, two degrees below normal.
Visibility remained poor for most of the day due to fog. At 8:30 am, visibility at Safdarjung dropped to 200 metres, while Palam recorded 350 metres. Conditions improved marginally by 12.30 pm, with visibility rising to 400 metres at Safdarjung and 600 metres at Palam.
Shallow to moderate fog persisted across large parts of the city, keeping visibility between 400 and 600 metres till midday.
The IMD has forecast dense to very dense fog on Sunday and issued an orange alert for the national capital. The maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to hover around 23 degrees Celsius and 9 degrees Celsius, respectively.
Flight Disruptions At Delhi Airport
Flight operations at Delhi airport were affected due to fog. At least 129 flights were cancelled on Saturday, including 66 arrivals and 63 departures.
Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) said low visibility procedures were in progress and that operations were functioning normally.
UP, Haryana, Punjab Reel Under Intense Cold
The weather agency issued a red alert for dense to very dense fog and cold day conditions across several parts of Uttar Pradesh, warning that the adverse weather is likely to persist over the next two days. Very dense fog, with visibility below 50 metres, was observed at Agra airport, Prayagraj, Kanpur (airport), Bareilly, Jhansi and several other locations.
The IMD said that cold day conditions were reported in many districts, particularly in western, central and eastern Uttar Pradesh, as cold northerly winds, surface inversion and the influence of an anti-cyclone continued to prevail over the region.
Punjab and Haryana are reeling under intense cold as a thick blanket of fog enveloped several areas in both states. Faridkot in Punjab was the coldest place with a low of 4.9 degrees Celsius on Saturday, the weather office said.
Chandigarh, the joint capital of the two states, recorded a minimum of 11.3 degrees Celsius, three degrees above normal. In neighbouring Haryana, Jind recorded a low of 5.2 degrees Celsius.
(With inputs from agencies)
