Delhi : Coldest day of December in last five years

According to Skymet's forecast, the chilly Sunday morning left Delhiites shivering. The long wait for winter in Delhi finally ended over the weekend when rain lashed parts of the city while overcast sky hid the sun on Sunday.

And even though Delhiites were bereft of the soothing sunshine for almost two days, no one was complaining since winter ultimately knocked.

The plunging maximum temperatures and rain coupled with heavy winds on 14^th December made Sunday the coldest day of December for Delhi in last five years. The second coldest day in last five years was witnessed on 26^th December in 2012 when the maximum temperatures dropped to 16.2°C. For a cold day condition, maximum temperatures must hover around 16°C or below 16°C.

Besides low day temperature, light to moderate rain of 13 mm witnessed on Sunday enabled Delhi to cover its monthly average rainfall of 9.4 mm.

Sunday morning also observed a dense cloud cover which did not allow the earth’s heat to escape. This resulted in an increase of the minimum temperature to 14.4°C, six degrees above normal.

A maximum temperature of 16°C and minimum of 14.4°C on Sunday exhibited a diurnal variation of 1.8°C which means that even though there was no extremely chilly night, the day was significantly cold.

According to Skymet Meteorology Division in India, snowfall in the hilly state of Himachal Pradesh led to the drop in temperature and chill in the national capital.

Moving forward, Delhi's maximum temperatures will be restricted from rising as fog will make an appearance tomorrow onwards. The maximums will hover around 20°C and minimums will hover around 8°C – 10°C without any significant drop.