Cold wave abates in Delhi, but min temps below normal; drizzle likely: IMD

Cold wave abated in Delhi on Thursday though minimum temperatures remained below normal in most places, according to IMD

Cold wave abated in Delhi on Thursday though minimum temperatures remained below normal in most places, according to India Meteorological Department.

The city may see light rain on Thursday night, it said.

The Safdarjung observatory, Delhi's primary weather station, recorded a minimum temperature of 5.6 degrees Celsius, two notches below normal.

Delhi saw a second cold wave this month with the minimum temperature settling at 2.6 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, 2.4 degrees Celsius on Tuesday and 1.4 degrees Celsius on Monday.

The city has logged eight cold wave days in January so far, the most in the month in at least 12 years, according to data available on the IMD website. It saw seven cold wave days in January 2020 while it did not record any such day last year.

The city recorded a spell of intense cold wave from January 5 to 9, the second longest in the month in a decade, according to IMD data. It has also logged over 50 hours of dense fog this month so far, the highest since 2019.

The meteorological office had earlier said cold wave conditions would abate from Thursday or Friday under the influence of two western disturbances that are likely to affect the region in quick succession.

When a western disturbance -- a weather system characterised by warm moist winds from the Middle East -- approaches a region, the wind direction changes.

Light to moderate rain and a hailstorm with winds gusting up to 50 kilometres per hour are predicted to lash northwest India, including Delhi, on January 23-24 under the influence of another western disturbance.

Delhi has not recorded any rainfall this winter season so far. The Met department attributed it to the lack of strong western disturbances in November and December.

Last year, the city recorded 82.2 mm of rainfall in January, the highest in the month since 1901.