3 degrees of separation: Day-night gap narrows

Consistent rain and thunderstorm throughout Friday pushed the maximum temperature below 15 degrees Celsius for the first time this winter. This meant that city residents experienced a bitter cold that is usually only felt at night so early in winter. In fact, the difference between minimum and maximum temperature dropped to merely 3.6°C leaving people shivering even during the warmest part of the day.

Safdarjung, representative of Delhi's weather, recorded a maximum of 14.6°C - 5.8 notches below the normal and d own from Thursday's maximum of 24.1°C. However, the minimum in Delhi rose by nearly three notches and was recorded at 11°C --up from 8.2°C on Thursday and four degrees above the normal. The difference between minimum and maximum temperature on Thursday was 15.9°C.

IMD classifies it as a cold day when the maximum is 4.5°C or more below the normal and the minimum is also below 10°C. Delhi's maximum was the lowest since 2019 when 14.6°C was recorded on December 23 and 14.3°C on December 24.