New Delhi, Jan 11 (IANS) The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert for dense fog and warned of a cold wave in Delhi-NCR for Sunday and Monday, cautioning that weather conditions are likely to worsen over the next two days amid a sharp drop in temperatures.

The national capital recorded its coldest morning of the ongoing winter on Saturday, with the minimum temperature at Safdarjung falling to 4.2 degrees Celsius, the lowest January reading in the last three years, according to IMD data.

Daytime conditions also remained chilly, with the maximum temperature settling below normal at 19.7 degrees Celsius, adding to the prolonged winter discomfort across the city.

With temperatures dipping sharply across several parts of Delhi, the weather department has also forecast moderate to dense fog during the morning hours, which is expected to significantly reduce visibility and further aggravate cold conditions.

As per IMD norms, cold wave conditions are declared when minimum temperatures drop between 4.5 and 6.4 degrees Celsius below normal, depending on local climatology.

Palam and Ayanagar recorded minimum temperatures of 4.5 degrees Celsius, while Lodi Road registered 4.7 degrees Celsius, and the Ridge area reported 5.3 degrees Celsius.

Maximum temperatures across various weather stations also remained suppressed, ranging from 17.2 degrees Celsius at Palam to around 19 degrees Celsius at Safdarjung and Ayanagar.

On Friday, the minimum temperature was recorded at 4.6 degrees Celsius.

As the cold wave deepens, air quality has deteriorated further due to unfavourable meteorological conditions.

Cold and calm winds have restricted the dispersion of pollutants, allowing pollution levels to accumulate over the city.

Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) remained in the “poor” category, touching 259 at 8:00 a.m. on Sunday morning.

Chandni Chowk recorded the worst air quality, with an AQI reading of 395, dangerously close to the “severe” category.

According to official data, 27 air quality monitoring stations across the city reported “very poor” air quality levels, while 11 stations remained in the “poor” category, raising health concerns as the cold spell continues.

–IANS

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