Delhi records season's coldest morning at 4.5 deg C, air quality remains poor

New Delhi: The city on Thursday recorded the lowest temperature of this winter season so far with the minimum dipping to 4.5 degrees Celsius.

Cold wave conditions were observed at isolated places in Delhi, including Ayanagar and Pusa, where temperatures dropped to 3.8 and 3.2 degrees Celsius respectively.

According to the India Meteorological Department, cold wave conditions occur when actual temperatures fall below 4.1 degrees Celsius or when the departure from normal is 4.4 degrees Celsius or more below average.

Delhi's minimum temperature on Wednesday stood at 4.9 degrees Celsius. The minimum temperatures in early December have been recorded below 5 degrees Celsius for the first time in 14 years, the weather department had said.

According to data, the lowest minimum temperature during this period was recorded on December 6, 1987, at 4.1 degrees Celsius.

The Weather Department predicted a clear sky for the day, with the maximum temperature expected to settle around 23 degrees Celsius.

Delhi's air quality was recorded in the poor category, with an AQI reading of 262 at 9 AM, compared to the moderate category on Wednesday, when the 24-hour average AQI was 199.