It was the clearest December in 22 years in terms of visibility at the Delhi Airport with dense fog conditions prevailing for nine hours on two nights against the normal of 45 hours on nine nights.
The Met department stated that fog hours (shallow to very dense) during the month were only 145 against normal of 300 hours.
Third coldest month
This December has also been the third coldest month in the last 50 years with Delhi recording an average minimum temperature of 6.7 degrees Celsius.
Daily minimum
“The daily minimum temperature was below normal for 26 days. The monthly mean temperature was below normal by 1.6 degrees Celsius and the lowest minimum temperature recorded was 2.6 degrees Celsius on December 29, which was the fourth lowest in last 50 years after 2013, 1996 and 1973,” the Met department said.
Previously, 2005 and 1996 were colder with monthly minimum temperatures of 6 degrees Celsius and 5.9 degrees Celsius respectively.
December had 14 nights with minimum temperature being below 6 degrees Celsius and eight nights when the minimum temperature was less than or equal to 4 degrees Celsius, thus, meeting the threshold of cold wave and ground frost conditions, the Met department added.
The lowest minimum temperature ever recorded in Delhi is 0 degrees Celsius on December 27, 1930.
