Delhi weather update: Capital records coldest day of this season today, orange alert issued for next 2 days

IMD weather update: As the cold wave continues to batter north India, Delhi recorded the 'coldest day' of this season on Wednesday morning with the minimum temperature dropping to 4.4 degrees Celsius. This made the city colder than Dharamsala, Nainital and Dehradun.

An orange alert has been issued for Delhi-NCR for the next two days. A dense layer of fog lowered visibility to 200 metres, affecting the movement of road and rail traffic in the city.

"A cold wave is prevailing in Delhi and maximum temperatures are also low, leading to cold day conditions. Most places are likely to record maximum temperatures between 13 degrees and 15 degrees Celsius," Senior IMD Scientist RK Jenamani said.

"Cold wave and cold day conditions are predicted to continue for the next 24 to 48 hours though there will be some improvement under the influence of a fresh Western Disturbance, which is likely to affect northwest India starting January 7," Jenamani added.

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What is a cold day?

A cold day is when the minimum temperature is less than or equal to 10 degrees Celsius below normal and the maximum temperature is at least 4.5 degrees Celsius below normal. A severe cold day is when the maximum is 6.5 degrees Celsius or more below the normal.

In the plains, the Met office declares a cold wave if the minimum temperature dips to four degrees Celsius or when the minimum temperature is 10 degrees Celsius or below and is 4.5 notches below normal.

A severe cold wave is when the minimum temperature dips to two degrees Celsius or the departure from the normal is more than 6.4 degrees Celsius.

(With inputs from PTI)