The Hindu : Front Page : Coldest New Year in five years

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jan 02, 2008
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Coldest New Year in five years

Staff Reporter

– PHOTO: SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA

A COLD NEW YEAR: Families basking in the sun at Central Park in Connaught Place, New Delhi, on New Year’s Day.

NEW DELHI: The Capital woke up to its coldest New Year in five years on Tuesday with the mercury falling to a freezing 2.6 degrees Celsius. While the misty New Year morning did give way to a sunny afternoon later in the day, the weak sunlight wasn’t enough to take away the chill in the air.

According to the Meteorological Department, Delhi had recorded a minimum of 9 degrees Celsius on January 1, 2007, and 7 degrees Celsius on the first day of the year in 2006 and 2003.

In 2004, the minimum temperature on New Year’s Day stood at 8 degrees Celsius, while 2005 recorded a relatively higher minimum temperature of 14 degrees.

The good news, however, is the BBC weather website forecasting that the mercury would rise during the rest of the week.

The minimum temperature is set to rise from 4 degrees Celsius on Wednesday to 5 degrees Celsius on Thursday and a much warmer 9 degrees Celsius on Friday to settle at 7 degrees Celsius on Saturday.

“The winter season peaks in January in the North India belt and this drop in temperature is because of the north-westerly cold winds that have resulted in lowering of temperature across the Capital. Snowfall in the hills also contributes to the falling mercury here and the neighbouring areas. We expect the cold wave conditions to continue for at least two to three days more,” said a Meteorological Department official.

The Capital, which is prone to heavy fog during the winter bringing with it lowered visibility disrupting road, rail and air traffic, is expected to experience poor visibility during the week, according to the BBC weather website.

The fog conditions are expected to improve only by weekend, it added.

Assuring air travellers that there is no cause for concern, a senior Delhi International Airport (Private) Limited official said there was no major disruption in flight schedules on New Year’s Day and that services were operating as normal.

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