Slight respite from cold for Delhiites, min temp at 8.3 deg Cel

New Delhi: Delhiites on Wednesday woke up to a slight respite from biting cold as the national capital recorded a minimum temperature of 8.3 degrees Celsius, a notch above the season's average, according to the weather office.

Delhi has experienced five cold days and five coldwave days in January so far, the highest in the past 13 years, according to India Meteorological Department data.

The city witnessed mainly clear skies with moderate fog, according to the IMD.

The visibility improved at various observatories in Delhi late night on Tuesday, with Safdarjung recording a visibility of 500 metres and Palam recording 700 metres at 11.45 pm.

Delhi’s IGI Airport reported a visibility of 600 metres from 5.30 am.

Twenty-four Delhi-bound trains were delayed by one to six hours due to fog in parts of northern India, according to the Indian Railways.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) in the city continued to remain in the "very poor" category. The AQI at 9 am was recorded at 392 in the national capital, which was a marginal increase from 376 recorded on Tuesday.

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

The relative humidity at 8.30 am was at 97 per cent, the IMD said.