Delhi records 11.3 deg C min temp; experts say almost 'nil chance' of cold wave conditions returning

Chances of "cold day or cold wave" conditions returning to the national capital are almost over, weather experts said on Friday as the city recorded a minimum temperature of 11.3 degrees Celsius, a rise of almost two degrees from that on Thursday.

Chief of India Meteorological Department regional forecasting centre Kuldeep Srivastava said Delhi may receive light rains on January 21 due to a fresh western disturbance but temperatures are not expected to dip drastically in the next eight to 10 days.

"There's almost nil chance of cold day or cold wave conditions returning to Delhi in the remaining winter season," he said.

The national capital had reeled under a numbing cold last month which was the second-coldest December since 1901. December 30 was the coldest day in Delhi since 1901, with the maximum temperature dropping to 9.4 degrees Celsius. The mercury had plunged to below 2 degrees Celsius in parts of Delhi on December 28.

The city had also witnessed the longest cold wave since 1992.

According to IMD, a "cold day" is when the maximum temperature is at least 4.5 notches below normal. A "severe cold day" has the maximum temperature at least 6.5 degrees Celsius below normal. A streak of cold days is known as a "cold spell".

Mahesh Palawat, vice president (meteorology and climate change), Skymet Weather, a private forecaster, too said that there's "almost no chance of cold day or cold wave conditions returning to Delhi".

Temperature will increase in the next two to three days due to clear weather. The minimum temperature in the national capital increased on Friday due to a cloud cover till 11 am, he said.

The maximum temperature in Delhi settled at 17.7 degrees Celsius, two notches below normal while the minimum was four degrees above the normal, the IMD said.

The pollution levels in the national capital decreased slightly, a day after the city witnessed widespread rains. The overall air quality index stood at 265 at 4 pm.

An AQI between 0-50 is considered "good", 51-100 "satisfactory", 101-200 "moderate", 201-300 "poor", 301-400 "very poor" and 401-500 "severe".

Dense fog is expected in the national capital on Saturday while the maximum and minimum temperatures will hover around 18 degrees Celsius and 9 degrees Celsius respectively, the weather office said.