The residents of the national capital woke up on Thursday to a cold and foggy morning as Delhi witnessed the lowest temperature of the season at 6.2 degrees Celsius. The mercury has been dipping over the last few days as Delhi prepares for winter. The minimum temperature recorded on Wednesday was 7.4 degrees, on Tuesday it stood at 6.8 degrees and on Monday it settled at 6.5 degrees Celsius, as reported by news agency PTI.
According to the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, the predominant surface wind is likely to be coming from West/Northwest directions in Delhi with wind speeds up to 06-12 kilometres per hour. The minimum temperature is likely to stay on the lower side tomorrow, as per the India Meteorological Department (IMD.
The maximum temperature is expected to hover somewhere around 24 degrees Celsius. A bulletin from the IMD stated that the relative humidity at 8:30 this morning was recorded at 100 per cent.
The air quality in the national capital was recorded in the 'very poor' category. The Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 358, according to the Central Pollution Control Board.
READ MORE | Delhi Pollution: Thick Layer Of Smog Shrouds Capital, Air Quality In Poor Category
Reduction In Visibility
Almost every year, Delhi battles with the issue of low visibility. One of the worst affected sectors by this low visibility is the aviation sector. Over a dozen Delhi-bound flights scheduled to arrive at the IGI Airport in the early hours of December 2 were delayed after they were diverted to other places in view of low visibility and bad weather conditions, reported The Statesman.
Road accidents also witnessed a rise of 17.8 per cent last year in comparison to 2021, according to the data of the National Crime Records Bureau. As per the data, the maximum number of accidents took place in the winter months (November-December) between 9 pm and 1 am. Times of India cited experts as saying that one of the reasons for an increase in the number of accidents in winter was low visibility because of fog.