IMD issues 'red' warning for Delhi

New Delhi: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Saturday issued a 'red' warning for the national capital after cold wave conditions continued unabated in the region.

The red colour denotes extreme weather condition.

The IMD has issued the warning after the temperature in parts of Delhi on Saturday morning reaching 1.7 degrees Celsius. In Safdargunj Enclave it was around 2.4 degrees Celsius.

Haryana's Hisar was the coldest place with the minimum temperature settling at 0.2 degrees Celsius, seven notches below normal limits.

The minimum temperatures at Hisar (0.2), Narnaul (0.5), Rohtak (1.8), Karnal (1.5), Sirsa (2), Bathinda (2.3) and Bhiwani (3.9) were even lower than Shimla which registered a low of 4 degrees Celsius.

Most places in Haryana and Punjab witnessed fog with visibility reducing to 600 metres, disrupting air, rail and road traffic in the region.

It should be noted that since 1992, Safdarjung Enclave has recorded the lowest minimum temperature this year. During the 1930s the minimum temperature was recorded as low as 0.0 degrees Celsius.

Due to dense fog, flight operations and train services have also been affected in Delhi.

Latest satellite imageries indicate dense cloud engulfing most parts of northwest India and extending all along the Indo Gangetic plains.

On Saturday, in Delhi's Palam and Lodhi Road, the temperature was around 3.1 degrees Celsius and 1.7 degrees Celsius, respectively.

According to IMD, from December 31 onwards, rain is likely in the capital city and its adjoining areas such as Noida, Gurugram, Ghaziabad and Faridabad.

This weather phenomenon is likely to continue till January 3, predicted the weather forecast agency.