Delhi records bone-chilling cold as mercury dips to 3.5 degrees Celsius

New Delhi, Dec 18: The minimum temperature in Delhi on Thursday night recorded at 3.5 degrees Celsius, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. According to the IMD, northern states including Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh will continue to witness the dip in winter chill for the next two days.

Icy winds are blowing towards the northern plains from the snow-clad western Himalayan range of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, the weather department said.

The reports further predicted cold day to severe cold day conditions in some to many pockets over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, north Rajasthan and northwest Uttar Pradesh during the next 2 days and decrease thereafter.

Delhi recorded the lowest minimum temperature of the season so far with mercury dipping to 3.5 degrees Celsius on Thursday.

"Ridge observatory has recorded the minimum temperature of 3.5 degrees Celsius. The cold wave condition will persist till December 18, following which the temperature will rise up a notch," IMD's regional forecasting centre head, Kuldeep Srivastava told reporters.

The IMD designates days as cold wave days in the plains if the minimum temperature is 10 degrees Celsius or lower and at the same time, 4.5 degrees or more below the average minimum temperature for the day for two consecutive days.