Delhiites witnessed a thick blanket of fog on Saturday morning while the maximum temperature settled two notches below normal at 17.7 degrees Celsius, according to India Meteorological Department (IMD).
IMD officials said the minimum temperature was recorded 8.4 degrees Celsius, a notch above the normal, and visibility was reduced to 50 metres in Palam area during the morning hours due to a dense fog.
A Railway spokesperson said around 20 north-bound trains were delayed by two to five hours.
Chief of IMD regional forecasting centre Kuldeep Srivastava said Delhi may receive light rain on January 21 due to a fresh western disturbance but temperatures are not expected to dip drastically in the next eight to 10 days.
The maximum temperature will fluctuate between 17 and 19 degrees Celsius and minimum temperature will oscillate between six and eight degrees Celsius next week.
Delhi will witness moderate to dense fog on January 19, and January 22, 23 and 24.
“There’s almost nil chance of cold day or cold wave conditions returning to Delhi in the remaining winter season,” he said. The air quality index in Delhi Saturday evening was 250. The AQI in Faridabad was 258; Ghaziabad 252; Greater Noida 264; Gurgaon 155; and Noida 299.
The humidity level oscillated between 100 per cent and 65 per cent.
The Met department forecast mainly clear sky for Sunday with dense fog in the morning. The maximum and minimum temperatures would be around 17 and 7 degrees celsius respectively.