New Delhi

Delhi woke up to its coldest morning of the season on Monday as the minimum temperature dropped to 5.7 degrees Celsius, sharply down from 8.3°C a day earlier and 4.6 degrees below the normal, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Weather experts attributed the sudden dip to clear skies and calm winds, which enable faster heat loss from the earth’s surface during the night.

Mahesh Palawat, Vice President of Meteorology & Climate Change, said temperatures are likely to rise marginally over the next two or three days due to the arrival of two western disturbances.

“For the next one or two days, a slight rise in temperatures is expected, before a fresh dip sets in during mid-December,” he said. “From the second week of December, temperatures in the capital are likely to fall again, marking the onset of a colder phase.”

Palawat said the approaching western disturbances will primarily affect the upper Himalayan region with light snowfall, though no significant snowfall is expected. Delhi is unlikely to receive rain, but the disturbances could still influence the temperature.

Monday’s minimum temperature of 5.7°C is the lowest recorded so far this winter, surpassing the previous low of 8°C.

Historical data shows that December temperatures in Delhi have dipped even lower in recent years — 4.5°C in 2024, 4.9°C in 2023 and 5°C in 2022.

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The IMD said Monday’s maximum temperature is likely to settle around 24°C, while the relative humidity measured at 8:30 am stood at 100 per cent.