Mercury hits high of 12.5°C on 'severe cold day' in Capital

The peak temperature on Thursday was just 12.5°C, according to India Meteorological Department (IMD) data, confirming that the bitterly cold, grey conditions made for a "severe cold day" in the Capital - the first in two years.

- Jasjeev Gandhiok

Such conditions could last another couple of days, weathers experts said, attributing the phenomenon to the thickening of the fog that has blanketed much of the Indo-Gangetic plains for nearly a week now, and the icy cold winds from the Himalayas up north.

Thursday's maximum temperature was seven notches below the average at this time of the year and with a minimum of 7.7°C, the day was classified not just as the first "cold day" of the season, but a "severe cold day"-when the minimum is below 10°C and the maximum is over 6.5 degrees below normal.

The last time Delhi experienced a colder day was on January 25, 2022 when the maximum was 12.1°C. The IMD appears to have not seen the conditions coming, having predicted a day before that the maximum would be 17°C with "mainly clear skies" and "cold day conditions in isolated places".

The agency has now forecast cold to severe cold day conditions for Friday and has issued an orange alert, which advises people to take precautions from exposure to the weather.