The national capital witnessed its coldest morning on Thursday when the mercury dipped to 10.5 degrees Celsius -- the lowest minimum temperature recorded this season.

It was also the foggiest day of the season so far with visibility at both the Safdarjung and Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airports dropping to less than 500 metres in the morning, officials at the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

Low temperatures and weak winds further allowed accumulation of pollutants in the air. However, the capital may breathe easy on November 13-14, as light rain and thundershowers are expected during this period, the officials said.

The minimum temperature recorded at 10.5 degrees Celsius was three notches below normal. The low temperature also induced fog in the morning, reducing visibility.

The maximum temperature on Wednesday settled at 27.8 degrees Celsius, a notch below the season’s average, while the minimum temperature was recorded at 12.5 degrees Celsius, one notch below the season’s average.

“The sharp drop in the mercury is attributed to snowfall in Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh in northwest India. The minimum temperature may fall slightly on Friday. But with clouds surfacing again from Saturday, the minimum temperature is likely to increase,” said, B P Yadav, deputy director-general, IMD.

With a new western disturbance arriving in northern plains, light rain and thundershowers are expected between November 13 and 14, which may help wash away pollutants trapped in the air, he added.

Accord to IMD officials, the visibility dropped to less than 500 metres between 7 am and 9 am on Thursday due to fog and wind speed dropping to almost zero.

The maximum and minimum temperatures on Friday are expected to hover around 27 degrees Celsius and 10 degrees Celsius, respectively.

First Published: Nov 09, 2018 08:17 IST