Delhi shivers at 3.2 degree Celsius as cold wave grips north India, relief likely from Wednesday

As north India shivers due to a cold wave, Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 3.2 degree Celsius on Monday morning.

The minimum temperature is five degrees below normal for this time of the year. This is the second straight day when minimum temperature has fallen below the 5 degree Celsius level.

Temperatures plunged below the freezing point in a few places in Rajasthan with Fatehpur recording -1.8 degree Celsius.


The weather department had said that cold wave conditions will persist till December 21 in parts of north West India.

Relief is likely to come from December 22 onwards as minimum temperature coul rise to 6 or 7 degree Celsius because of two back to back western disturbances, a senior scientist at IMD said.

A bone-chilling "severe" cold wave swept parts of Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh on Sunday with Churu in Rajasthan reporting the lowest minimum temperature of minus 2.6 degrees Celsius in northwest India followed by Sikar (minus 2.5 degrees Celsius) and Amritsar (minus 0.5 degree Celsius).

In the plains, the IMD declares a cold wave if the minimum temperature dips to 4 degrees Celsius. A cold wave is also declared when the minimum temperature is 10 degrees Celsius or below and is 4.5 notches less than normal.

A "severe" cold wave is when the minimum temperature dips to two degrees Celsius or the departure from normal is more than 6.4 degrees Celsius.

When the minimum temperature is less than or equal to 10 degrees Celsius and the maximum temperature is at least 4.5 degrees Celsius below the normal, it is said to be a 'cold day'.

(With inputs from PTI)