It was a sunless chilly day for Delhiites on Wednesday as the minimum temperature remained below the five degree Celsius mark and a layer of fog engulfed the city skylines.
The mercury dropped to 4.2 degree Celsius, three degrees below normal for this time of the year.
The sun was no where to be seen as an overcast sky added to the chill even as icy winds were blowing from the northern mountains.
Yesterday was the coldest day of the season with the minimum dropping to 3.7 degree Celsius and maximum to 12.7 degrees, both the season’s lowest. The maximum was eight degrees below normal.
Tomorrow could be the same as today on weather front with the MeT prediction showing that the minimum would be around four degree Celsius while the maximum is not likely to go beyond 13 degrees with fog in the morning.
The cold winds blowing across the city for the past several days added to the chill in the city where at least three cold-related deaths have been reported since December 26.
Last year, the month of January recorded the lowest minimum of 5.6 degrees Celsius in the first week of the year.
According to MeT statistics, the record for the highest maximum for the month of January was 32.5 degree Celsius recorded on the 28th of 2004. The record minimum is -0.6 degree Celsius recorded on 16th of the month in 1935.
In the last decade, only last year the minimum did not drop below five degree Celsius. In 2006, the minimum dropped to 0.2 degrees on January eight while two years later, the lowest minimum was 1.9 degrees on 2nd of the month.
The mean minimum for the month of January is 7.3 degree Celsius while the mean maximum is 21.1 degrees.
