Minimum temperature in Delhi rises to 5.5 degrees Celsius; Air quality 'very poor'

New Delhi, Dec 21: The minimum temprature in Delhi rose slightly to 5.5 degrees Celsius on Monday under the influence of a fresh western disturbance affecting the upper reaches of the Himalayas. "This a fast-moving Western Disturbance (WD) and it will withdraw on Tuesday. Thereafter, the temperatures are expected to drop again," Mahesh Palawat, an expert at a private forecasting agency, said.

He further said that the WD will lead to a light to moderate snowfall in the upper reaches of Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh, he said.

According to the India Meteorological Department, a minimum of 5.5 degrees Celsius was recorded on Monday morning as against 3.4 degrees Celsius on Sunday, the lowest this season so far.

It has predicted cold wave conditions at some place in the city from December 23 to December 26. Moderate to dense fog is also predicted during the period, it said.

For the plains, the IMD declares a cold wave when the minimum temperature is 10 degrees Celsius or below and is 4.5 notches less than normal for two consecutive days.

However, for small areas such as Delhi, a cold wave can be declared if the criteria are fulfilled even for a day, officials said.