Breaking News Live Updates: Delhi wakes up shivering as cold wave strikes capital; AQI remains in ‘very poor’ category at 295

A cold wave has tightened its grip on Delhi, with weather officials warning that conditions are set to worsen over the next two days amid falling temperatures, dense fog and persistently hazardous air quality.

The national capital recorded its coldest morning of the ongoing winter on Saturday, with the minimum temperature at Safdarjung dropping to 4.2 degrees Celsius — the lowest January reading in three years. The maximum temperature also remained below normal at 19.7 degrees Celsius, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

With temperatures dipping sharply across the city, the IMD said cold wave conditions have set in and issued a yellow alert for Sunday and Monday. Moderate to dense fog is also expected during morning hours, further reducing visibility and compounding winter discomfort.

Cold wave conditions are declared when minimum temperatures fall 4.5 to 6.4 degrees Celsius below normal, depending on local climatology. Several parts of Delhi recorded minimum temperatures close to this threshold. Palam and Ayanagar registered 4.5 degrees Celsius, Lodi Road 4.7 degrees Celsius and the Ridge 5.3 degrees Celsius.

Maximum temperatures across weather stations also remained subdued, ranging from 17.2 degrees Celsius at Palam to around 19 degrees Celsius in Safdarjung and Ayanagar.

Saturday’s readings marked the coldest January morning in Delhi since January 15, 2024, when the minimum temperature plunged to 3.3 degrees Celsius and triggered a cold wave across the capital. On Friday, the minimum temperature had stood at 4.6 degrees Celsius.

As the cold wave deepens, air quality has deteriorated further due to unfavourable meteorological conditions. Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) slipped into the “very poor” category, reaching 346 at 4 pm on Saturday. Chandni Chowk recorded the worst air quality at 395, nearing the “severe” category.

According to official data, 27 monitoring stations across the city reported “very poor” air quality, while 11 stations remained in the “poor” category. Cold and calm conditions have restricted the dispersion of pollutants, allowing pollution levels to build up.