Winter is here! At 6.9 degrees Celsius, Delhi records coldest Nov morning in 17 years

Mercury level continued to dip in the national capital as Delhi's minimum temperature dropped to 6.9 degrees Celsius on Sunday, the lowest in the month of November since 2003.

The IMD declares a cold wave when the minimum temperature is 10 degrees Celsius or below and is 4.5 notches less than normal for two consecutive days.

"The Safdarjung Observatory which provides representative data for the city, recorded a minimum of 6.9 degrees Celsius. It is Delhi's lowest minimum temperature in the month since November 2003, when the city recorded a minimum of 6.1 degrees Celsius," PTI quoted Kuldeep Srivastava, the head of the IMD's regional forecasting centre as saying.

Meanwhile, the air quality continues to remain in the 'poor' category today with the air quality index (AQI) at 259.

An AQI between 0-50 is marked good, 51-100 is satisfactory, 101- 200 is moderate, 201- 300 is poor, 301-400 is very poor and 401-500 is considered severe.

On Friday, a minimum temperature of 7.5 degrees Celsius was recorded in the national capital which is its lowest in this winter season.

"Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 7.5 degrees Celsius today, the lowest in this winter season, which begins from the month of October. This is due to snowfall in plain and hilly areas. This dip in temperature will continue for the next two days," Kuldeep Srivastava, IMD Scientist said.

Srivastava said icy cold winds blowing from snow-laden western Himalayas have led to a dip in the mercury.

However, the minimum temperature will rise by two to three degrees Celsius in the next four to five days under the influence of a fresh Western Disturbance.

The minimum temperature this month, barring November 16, has remained 2-3 degrees Celsius below normal in the absence of a cloud cover, according to IMD officials.

The month of October was the coldest in 58 years in the national capital.

(With agency inputs)