Delhi shivers, coldest winter since 1901; colder than Shimla

Delhi and the surrounding region woke up to an acutely cold Monday with temperature dipping to 2.6 degree Celsius; the capital has beaten Shimla, where the temperature reading hovered at 3 degree Celsius. Thick fog also accompanied the winter chill, and traffic moved at a slow pace throughout the city. The national capital pretty much looked like a cold dystopian world, vehicles snailing with headlights on till 11 AM.
Delhi is reeling under severe cold as it is turning out to be the capital’s coldest winter since 1901; the plummeting mercury has bet the previous 118-year old record. On Saturday, the temperature reading hovered at 1.7 degree Celsius at 8:30 AM; Aya Nagar recorded a 1.9 degree Celsius while Safdarjung saw the mercury dipping to 2.4 degree Celsius.

Previously, in 1930, the minimum temperature touched a record dip to 0 degrees. It is estimated that the cold wave will continue and leave Delhi shivering till January 3, 2020. As per the records, Delhi has recorded 11 number of days as ‘cold’, the highest in the last 22 years.

The ongoing cold wave also led to a dip in the air quality, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) reading “very poor” at 365. As per the predictions made by the Met dept, the capital will see light fog in the mornings, coupled with ‘cold’ to ‘severe cold’ conditions. So yes, it is time to brace up if you are in the capital or are planning a trip.