After an unusually warm start to November this year, the winters have finally started in Delhi and other parts of north India with mercury dipping gradually.
On Thursday morning, the mercury dropped to 11.2 degrees Celsius in Delhi, marking the season's lowest temperature so far, according to India Today.
The city's main weather observatory in Safdarjung recorded a minimum temperature of 16.1 degrees Celsius. Other areas too recorded temperatures below 20 degrees Celsius including Ridge (11.2 degrees Celsius), Ayanagar (14.4 degrees Celsius), Lodhi Road (15 degrees Celsius), and Palam (16.8 degrees Celsius.)
The drop in temperature has been attributed to a western disturbance that led to snowfall in the Himalayan region.
However, the winter cold is yet to set in the national capital as last year November 14 recorded the coldest night of the season with the minimum temperature dropping to 11.8 degrees Celsius.
According to the weather department's data, the maximum temperature usually dips below 25 degrees Celsius during November, while the minimum falls below 10 degrees Celsius by the second half of the month.
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The dip in temperature comes after 12 days of unusually warm November as the maximum temperature between November 1 and 12 was 32.6 degrees Celsius, as per IMD data. The past decade had only two such occasions, in 2022 and 2016 when the average maximum temperatures touched the 30-degree Celsius mark in the same duration.
The mercury dipped to 10 degrees and below in several parts of Madhya Pradesh as well including Bhopal, Panchmarhi, Shahdol, and Amarkantak among other places.
Pachmarhi emerged as the coldest spot in the state, with its nighttime temperature plummeting below 10 degrees Celsius. Other cities experiencing cold nights include Mandla (12°C), Shahdol-Amarkantak (12.7°C), Shajapur (12.8°C), Betul (13.4°C).