Gurgaon: The city witnessed biting cold on Thursday as the minimum temperature settled at 4°C. The city has been reeling from severe cold wave conditions for the past three days and it is likely to remain the same till Friday. However, India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted that the cold spell will subside after Friday, and there will be light rain from January 2 for a few days.
Dense fog engulfed the city in the early hours of Thursday morning, leading to reduced visibility. The visibility was only for 50 meters on Thursday, but it improved after 9am. Later in the day, mild sunshine was witnessed. A maximum temperature of 15.6°C was recorded at Delhi’s Ayanagar, around four notches below the normal. The automatic weather station at Gurgaon did not record the maximum temperature on Thursday.
According to the IMD’s weekly forecast, the minimum temperature will hover around 4°C on Friday, while the maximum will rise to 18°C. The city will get one or two spells of rain or thundershowers.
“Light rain is expected from January 2 to January 5, and the minimum temperature is expected to rise to 7-10°C during this period,” said an IMD official.
Amid the cold wave conditions, Gurgaon divisional commissioner Rajeev Ranjan on Thursday issued an advisory, asking people to stay indoors. “Ensure adequate clothing is worn. Cover your head and mouth with hats and mufflers to prevent heat loss and for protecting lungs. Eat healthy food and drink non-alcoholic beverages to avoid dehydration,” he stated. He also advised people to visit doctors if they show symptoms of hypothermia and frostbite, which lead to uncontrollable shivering, memory loss, disorientation, loss of feeling and pale appearances on fingers, toes and nose.
Meanwhile, the city’s air quality deteriorated on Thursday to ‘very poor’ category. The air quality index (AQI) was recorded at 317, significantly up from Wednesday’s 227, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). According to the IMD official, the air quality in the region is likely to deteriorate due to low ventilation. But it will witness some improvement from January 2, he said.