Cold tightens grip on national capital, minimum temperature at 10.8 C

As the city woke up to a chilly morning, Sri Krishan, who has been in the habit of taking a stroll near the India Gate for the last 50 years, said the prevailing cold, combined with fog and pollution, is adding to the distress of locals battling asthma or other respiratory problems.

"Temperature (24-hr Tendency ) over Delhi recorded at 0530 hrs IST of today, The 19th Dec.: Palam: 10.8 (-0.4) Safdarjung: 10.2 (+2.2)," read a post on the official X handle of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday.

Dense fog also engulfed vast swathes of the national capital amid the biting cold on Tuesday morning.

"Owing to the cold weather and persistent pollution, locals, especially asthma patients, are grappling with problems. Climate change is also contributing to the prevailing weather in the city," said Shubh Bhargav, another resident.

"My health has been brittle since the Covid-19 pandemic. My body tends to tire quickly while walking," another youth told ANI, pointing to pollution as one of the critical contributors to the indifferent air quality in the national capital.

Earlier, a minimum temperature of 6.8 degrees Celsius was recorded by the IMD at Delhi's Lodhi Road on Monday morning.

The Safdarjung area logged a minimum temperature of 7.1 degrees, which was 1 degree below the normal for this time of the year, on Monday. The minimum temperature is predicted to range between 5 degrees and 8 degrees over this week, with Friday, December 22, being predicted to have the lowest temperature at 5 degrees, according to the MeT.

Earlier, Indian Meteorological Department scientist Naresh Kumar held a briefing on the weather change expected in northwest India due to a Western disturbance in the Himalayan region.

"Right now, the temperature is normal in northwest India. However, they may fall by about one to two degrees in the next two days and two to three degrees in the eastern part of the country," Kumar told ANI on Monday. (ANI)