Delhi weather: Cold wave to return after a short respite

NEW DELHI: The city was spared biting cold and dense fog for another day on Friday, but the weather department predicts the temperature to start dropping from Saturday and cold waves to return on Tuesday.
According to India Meteorological Department (IMD), moderate fog is likely on Saturday morning.
According to weather analysts, the wind direction will change from Saturday evening to icy-cold northwesterly, which will impact the temperatures in Delhi. “The current active western disturbance will withdraw from Saturday due to which the wind direction will change from the evening. There will be a marginal drop in the temperature, and a significant drop of 2-4 degrees Celsius on Sunday, and thereafter, gradual decrease up to January 18. The temperature will start rising again from January 19 due to arrival of another western disturbance,” said Mahesh Palawat, vice-chairman of climate change and meteorology at Skymet.
“The city will see moderate fog till Monday, and from Tuesday, the intensity will increase to dense,” said an IMD official.
On Friday, the minimum temperature at Safdarjung was 9.8 degrees Celsius, two notches above normal, against 9.3 degrees a day earlier. The maximum was 21.5 degrees Celsius, a notch above normal, against 21.6 degrees on Thursday. The maximum and minimum temperatures on Saturday are likely to be 20 and 8 degrees Celsius.
The air quality continued to hover in the upper end of “very poor” category with an overall air quality index of 378 against 371 on Thursday. It is expected to worsen further on Saturday, but will remain in the same category.
Bhavreen Kandhari of Warrior Moms, a nationwide mothers’ network demanding clean air, said they had been writing to MPs for the funds under the next Budget to provide all underprivileged households with heavily subsidised cooking cylinders and refills.