Delhi night temperature reaches 4.1 degrees Celsius; cause of dip explained

The national capital on Tuesday recorded the lowest temperature for this winter season as the mercury dips to 4.1 degrees Celsius during the night. The temperature in Delhi was five degrees lower than the normal temperature that is recorded during this time of the year, as per the information provided by the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Over the next few days, the temperature is expected to remain on the lower side and fall even further during the day and night.

The weather department has forecasted the mercury will fall further over the next three days, both during night and day. Some cold wave conditions are going to persist in some parts of Delhi. Till December 19, the minimum temperature is expected to range between 4 and 5 degrees Celsius whereas the maximum temperature will be recorded at 18 -19 degrees Celsius. It is to note that depending on climatological data between 1981 and 2010, if the temperature drops 4.5 degrees Celsius below normal temperature, the day is considered as a cold day. On the basis of this, December 15 can definitely be considered as a cold day.

Now the question is what led to this dip in Delhi’s temperature. A report by The IE highlighted that India’s northern mountain ranges across Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand have been witnessing a significant amount of snowfall during the last few days. This snowfall is mainly due to the influence of a Western Disturbance. Citing Kuldeep Srivastava, head at IMD’s regional weather forecasting centre, the report said that whenever an active Western Disturbance passes via the western region of Himalayas, there is a dip in temperatures across northwest India. This Western Disturbance is an extra-tropical storm that usually originates in the Mediterranean. This area of low pressure is capable of bringing sudden showers, snow or fog across northwestern parts in India.

Further, the snowfall in the western Himalayan range results in cold, north-westerly winds to blow over Delhi. This contributes to reduction of temperatures across the national capital. This is also the reason why a rapid decline was recorded in Delhi from 14.4 degrees Celsius on December 12 to 4.1 degrees on December 15 with some amount of rainfall as well. Srivastava highlighted that the temperatures across the globe have been dropping, also known as the influence of an active La Niña climate pattern.