New Delhi:
Delhi is likely to experience its coldest day in December in 119 years on Monday with the day temperature recording 9.4 degrees Celsius, the India Meteorological Department said.
The temperature recorded by the Safdurjung laboratory at 2:30 pm was 9.4 degrees Celsius.
"Delhi likely to record most coldest day today in last 119 year for Dec Month as day temp till 1430 IST of today has been unusually (cold) following a coldest trend with Safdarjung at 1430 IST has 09.4degC," the IMD tweeted.
Strangely, parts of the National Capital have been colder than popular hill stations, including Shimla and Mussoorie, in the last few days, both during the day and night.
According to a report in the Times of India, the maximum temperatures in Shimla and Mussoorie over the weekend have been over 14 degrees Celsius, while Delhi recorded 13.3 degrees.
Similarly, minimum temperatures in the hill towns hovered around 4 degrees Celsius, while in Delhi, it plummeted to 2.4 degrees.The Met department has attributed this primarily to daytime fog cover over the plains, which is preventing the sunlight from reaching the ground and heating it during the day.
The thick fog engulfing the NCR region added to the poor air quality (remains severe with AQI of 431), has also wreaked havoc for commuters. Till 1 pm on December 30, over 500 flights were delayed, 21 diverted and five flights have been cancelled due to dense fog at Delhi airport, news agency ANI has reported.