January ends on a rainy note, max temp drops to 18.6°C in Delhi

The Capital recorded its first notable spell of rain this year on Wednesday which pushed the maximum temperature down by 2.8 degrees and ended what was a dry and unusually cold January with a reading of 18.6 degrees Celsius (°C), the India Meteorological Department said. It was 21.4°C on Tuesday.
Data from the weather agency shows that January 2024 was the driest since 2016 when the Capital recorded only “trace” rainfall. In January this year too, Delhi received “trace” rainfall — a 100% deficit from the seasonal average of 19.1mm point deficit. Rainfall recorded after 8.30am on the last day of a month is counted as part of the next month’s total. As proper rain on Wednesday was only recorded post 8.30am, there was a 100% deficit in the monthly average.
January 2024 was also the second coldest January in 74 years since 1951, when the maximum temperature capped at 21 degrees Celsius (°C) — with an average maximum temperature of 17.7 (°C). The coldest January since 1951 was in 2003 when the average maximum was logged at 17.6°C.
IMD attributed Wednesday’s rain to a western disturbance influencing the northern plains and added that a “very dense” layer of fog also blanketed the city in the early hours.
According to data from Safdarjung, Delhi’s base weather station, the city recorded 8.5mm of rain till 5.30 pm on Wednesday. However, the intermittent spells of rain hardly dispersed pollutants as residents continued their battle with bad air. The average air quality deteriorated considerably and clocked a 24-hour air quality index (AQI) reading of 392 (very poor) at 4pm, according to the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) national bulletin. On Tuesday, it read 357 (very poor) at the same time.
The very dense layer of fog slashed visibility to between zero and 50 metres for nearly seven hours, throwing both train and flight operations out of gear.
IMD forecasts dense fog along with cloudy skies and drizzle in parts of Delhi to continue through Thursday as well. “A yellow alert has been issued for both Thursday and Friday. There will be dense fog on both days and there is a possibility of light to moderate rain on Thursday as well,” said a Met official.
The official added that a second western disturbance is approaching Delhi and would likely impact the region between February 3 and 5. However, the second disturbance would be bleak, the officials said. “The winter conditions should continue for another week and then slowly recede. Delhi is going to experience dense fog for the next two days along with mostly cloudy skies,” said Kuldeep Srivastava, scientist at IMD. Meanwhile, the minimum temperature on Wednesday was recorded at 7.3°C, down from Tuesday’s 8.7°C.
According to IMD, the maximum will stay around 20°C throughout the rest of the week while the minimum will stay around 8°C or below. The Early Warning System for Delhi, meanwhile, has forecast an improvement in the AQI in the next few days. “The air quality is likely to be in the ‘poor’ category on February 1 and then improve to ‘moderate’ by February 2,” said the AQEWS bulletin.
128 hours of dense fog
IMD has said that Delhi recorded 128 hours of dense fog, with visibility remaining below 200 metres this winter (December and January). This was the highest duration for which dense fog persisted since 2014-2015 for the corresponding time.
“There were 20 days in these two months when a dense layer of fog covered the Capital. In 2014-15, there were 174 hours of dense fog, while in 2013-14, it was 160 hours,” said RK Jenamani, scientist at IMD.
In January 2024 alone, according to IMD data, there have been 14 days of dense fog, with about 88 hours of recorded fog.
IMD classifies it as “shallow” fog when visibility is between 500m and 1000m, “moderate” when the visibility is between 200m and 500m, “dense” when visibility remains between 50m and 200m and “very dense” when the visibility drops below 50m.
IMD officials said that the very dense layer of fog started around 2.30am and continued till 9.30am, with visibility near Safdarjung and Palam oscillating between zero meters and 50m throughout the early hours of the day.
Airport authorities said that over 100 flights were delayed while six were diverted. One flight from Delhi to Deogarh was cancelled. Railway authorities said that at least 10 trains, to and from Delhi, were delayed by over an hour.
Ruckus at airport
Airport authorities said that over 175 flights were delayed while six were diverted. Around 10 flights were cancelled due to poor visibility. Railway authorities said that at least 10 trains, to and from Delhi, were delayed by over an hour.
Passengers at the Indira Gandhi International IGI airport created ruckus after an IndiGo flight to Deoghar in Jharkhand from Delhi was cancelled.
In a viral video, passengers were seen ostensibly shouting slogans against the airlines. An IndiGo spokesperson said: “IndiGo flight 6E 2198 from Delhi to Deogarh was cancelled on Jan 30 and Jan 31, 2024 due to sudden drop in weather conditions around the airport in Deogarh.”