Delhi's bone-chilling cold spell to continue for next week

Delhi Winter: Cold is expected to persist in Delhi for the next three days as the city recently witnessed its coldest day conditions in two years.

A layer of lifted fog throughout the day, coupled with frosty northerly winds, contributed to the chill, with the maximum temperature at Safdarjung plummeting to 12.5 degrees Celsius, marking a 'severe cold day' as per the Indian Meteorological Department.

The last time Delhi experienced such extreme cold was on January 25, 2022.


The ongoing cold spell is anticipated to last, with an orange alert issued for a 'cold to severe cold day' on Friday and a yellow alert for Saturday.

The maximum temperature on Thursday was nearly five notches lower than the forecasted 17 degrees, contributing to the 'severe cold day' conditions.

Power demand amidst severe cold

Delhi experienced an unprecedented surge in power demand amidst the ongoing cold spell, reaching an all-time high of 5,559 MW on January 5, according to officials from the distribution companies (discoms). Real-time data from the State Load Dispatch Centre revealed this peak demand at 11:05 am.

The previous winter peak demand record in Delhi was 5,526 MW on January 6, 2023.

Key discoms, including BSES Rajdhani Power Limited, BSES Yamuna Power Limited, and Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited, successfully met the increased power demand in their respective areas.

The surge in demand coincided with parts of Delhi experiencing dense to very dense fog, and the minimum temperature settling at 9.4 degrees Celsius, as reported by the India Meteorological Department.