The minimum temperature on Wednesday was 0.5°C above normal and 2.2°C lower than that recorded on Tuesday when parts of Delhi recorded “cold day” to “severe cold day”.

On Tuesday, the lowest maximum temperature of 12.8°C was recorded at West Delhi’s Pusa. The maximum temperature at Safdarjung, which is representative of the Capital’s weather, did not meet the criteria of “cold day” on Tuesday. It was expected to be around 17°C on Wednesday.

A “cold day” is when the maximum temperature is 4.5°C or more below normal and the minimum dips below 10°C. It is a “severe cold day” if the maximum temperature is 6.5°C or more below normal and the mercury plunges below 10°C.

The early morning fog dipped the visibility at Palam to 100m at 5.30am and 700m at Safdarjung on Wednesday.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said strong surface winds of 25-35 km per hour were expected during the day. “This will ensure the maximum does not rise too much despite sunshine,” said an IMD official. The minimum temperature was expected to dip further by 1-2°C.

Private forecaster Skymet Weather’s vice president Mahesh Palawat said there may be a change in weather from Thursday as a western disturbance approaches the region and slows down winds.

The air quality deteriorated on Tuesday evening to the “poor” range. A 24-hour average Air Quality Index of 283 (poor) was recorded at 4pm on Tuesday compared to 173 (moderate) at the same time on Monday.