Delhi was colder than the hill stations Shimla and Mussoorie on Friday, owing to continuous snowfall in the mountains for the past few days. On Friday, Delhi witnessed its coldest morning of the winter so far, with the minimum temperature dropping to 4.9 degrees Celsius, four degrees below normal.

Delhi and its surrounding areas will experience severe cold wave-like conditions around Christmas, with light rain expected in northern India, leading to a drop in daytime temperatures.

According to the latest weather bulletin by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Delhi’s Safdarjung observatory recorded a minimum temperature of 4.9 degrees Celsius. The mercury reached a high of 24.1 degrees Celsius, which is one notch above the season’s average, as indicated in the IMD’s weather bulletin.

Meteorology and Climate Change vice-president Mahesh Palawat mentioned in a post on X, “Delhi shivers at 4.9 degrees, the lowest minimum of the season. Delhi is colder than Shimla.”

On Thursday, Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 6.2 degrees Celsius, marking the lowest for this season so far. According to IMD data, Delhi was colder than certain mountainous locations in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

The minimum temperature in Delhi on Wednesday was recorded at 7.4 degrees Celsius, on Tuesday at 6.8 degrees Celsius, and on Monday at 6.5 degrees Celsius. The IMD has forecasted that no significant change in minimum temperatures is expected across the country in the next four to five days. In Delhi, the minimum temperature is likely to be around 6 or 7 degrees over the weekend, with shallow fog expected in the morning.

According to the IMD, a western disturbance is anticipated around December 16 and 17, which may lead to snowfall in the hills and rain in the plains.

On December 23, 24, and 25, heavy snowfall is expected to impact temperatures in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat, bringing drizzle and light rainfall. Thick fog will likely cover these states, keeping temperatures low during the day. Western disturbances are cyclonic storms that bring winter rains to northern India.

Among the locations in the plains of northwest India, the national capital was the third coldest this morning, with Hisar in Haryana claiming the top spot with a slightly lower minimum temperature of 4.2 degrees Celsius. Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh also recorded a lower minimum temperature of 4.6 degrees.

Several regions in north and northeast India experienced fog this morning, affecting visibility. According to Skymet weather predictions, temperatures are expected to decline further in the next few days due to snowfall in the Himalayan states, which can bring rain to the plains, including Delhi.

The IMD reported very dense fog in isolated pockets over Punjab. Additionally, isolated pockets of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Assam, Meghalaya, and Tripura witnessed shallow to moderate fog at 5:30 this morning.