Republic Day celebration commenced on 26th January under freezing conditions marking the occasion to be the coldest in the last 21 years. A severe cold wave swept down the Rajpath with the mercury plunging to 2.1°C, a mammoth 7°C below the normal. Delhi continues to be under siege by cold wave with a minimum temperature of 3.8°C today morning, 5°C below the average. Meteorological office at Lodhi Road measured morning temperature a shade lower at 3.4°C.
Republic Day celebrations will get concluded on 29th January with ‘Beating the Retreat’ ceremony to be held at Vijay Chowk. Beating the Retreat is an annual ceremony marking an end to the 4 days long Republic Day celebrations. The day is going to start with cold wave again with mercury around 4°C amidst foggy weather. Fog is likely to lift early in the noon hours and the day will be pleasantly warm with temperature in excess of 20°C. The ceremony which starts in the evening (about 5 pm) and concludes little beyond the sunset (5.58 pm). During the ceremony, three wings of the military - Indian Army, Indian Navy and Indian Air Force bands and musicians perform at Raisina Hills. At the end of the show, spectacular lighting illuminates the entire Rashtrapati Bhavan, a wonderful sight to watch.
Expect a sharp drop in the temperature after sunset. A gentle breeze will raise the chill factor. As such the national capital is under siege by winter freeze with a record 6 cold wave days this month so far equaling the earlier record of January 2013. All the chances to surpass this feat in the remaining 3 days of the month.
