New Delhi. The country’s capital Delhi experienced the coldest Republic Day this year in the last five years. The minimum temperature in Delhi dropped to 3.6 degrees Celsius on Monday, breaking many previous records with severe cold and cold wave. Earlier in the year 2021, on January 26, the temperature was recorded at 2.1 degrees Celsius. Amidst this severe cold and chill, the weather is once again taking a turn, due to which there is a possibility of torrential rain and strong winds in Delhi-NCR on Tuesday.
According to the Indian Meteorological Department, the main reason for this sudden drop in temperature was the clear sky and icy winds coming from the north-west direction. However, there was some reduction in the speed of winds after Monday afternoon, because a new Western Disturbance is becoming active and moving towards Delhi. Due to this seasonal change, the minimum temperature will increase on Tuesday, but light to moderate rain during the day and winds blowing at a speed of 40 kilometers per hour can increase the problems of Delhiites. The Meteorological Department has issued a yellow alert in Delhi and surrounding areas for Tuesday. It is estimated that the fresh snowfall in the hilly areas will have a direct impact on the plains, due to which there is a possibility of cold wave once again after the rain. If we look at the data, the minimum temperature at Safdarjung Center in Delhi on Monday was 4.2 degrees Celsius, which was 4 degrees less than normal. At the same time, the maximum temperature was recorded at 23.2 degrees Celsius. Experts believe that due to the effect of western disturbance, the night temperature will increase, but the day temperature may fall between 18 to 20 degrees Celsius.
Along with cold, fluctuations are also being seen in the air quality of Delhi. On Republic Day, Delhi’s air quality index (AQI) was recorded at 241, which falls in the poor category. Till a day before this, it was in the moderate category with 153. However, meteorologists say that due to rain and strong winds on Tuesday, air pollution will reduce and AQI is expected to improve on January 27 and 28. The forecast for the coming days is that there may be heavy snowfall and hailstorm in the western Himalayan regions on January 27 and 28. This will have a direct impact on the temperature of Delhi-NCR and after January 29, a fall in mercury will be recorded once again. The administration has advised people to be alert about changing cold and rain, as hailstorm and strong winds can affect normal life.