Delhi: Chilly Christmas in offing as mercury dips

New Delhi, Dec 24: A chilly Christmas weekend seems to be in the offing for Delhiites with the mercury today plummeting to the season's lowest of 6.1 degrees Celsius.

The minimum temperature today fell sharply to 6.1 degrees Celsius, two degrees below normal. This is the lowest temperature recorded in Delhi this winter season.

The chill could persist, or even intensify, in the coming days with the weatherman forecasting a drop in minimum temperature to six degrees C tomorrow.

However, the fog enveloping the Delhi skyline over the last few days dissipated. Even though there was slight fog in the morning, the visibility levels were 500 m which is considered normal.

A spokesperson of the Airports authority of India said the visibility levels at the international airport were normal with the result that there were no flight delays due to fog.

The weatherman attributes the sharp fall in mercury today to snowfall in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal and Uttaranchal and rain in Punjab and Haryana in the last few days under the influence of a fresh western disturbance.

They have forecast that no significant change was likely to occur in night temperature over the plains of northwest India during the next 24 hours which means the chill in the air would persist.

They have also predicted a fall in night temperature over plains of northwest India in the post-Christmas period due to another phase of snowfall in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal and Uttaranchal and rainfall in Punjab and Haryana during the next 24 hours.

The met office has forecast a mainly clear sky in Delhi during the next 24 hours with the likelihood of slight fog or mist in the morning hours.

UNI