Temperature rises as clouds envelop Delhi

NEW DELHI - Delhi, which began Thursday on a cold and dank note, saw the temperature rise during the day despite the absence of the sun as cold winds too remained absent from the capital. A dip in temperature is, however, forecast Friday.

“The chill was lower as cold winds were not blowing. The minimum temperature was recorded much above the average,” an official from India Meteorological Department said.

The minimum temperature on Thursday was recorded at 11.8 degree Celsius, five degrees above average. The maximum temperature was however three notches below average at 19.2 degree Celsius.

“Because of the clouds, the heat gets trapped. Since the cold winds are not blowing the temperature is slightly higher,” the IMD official said.

The temperature is expected to be lower on Friday as IMD forecasts a foggy morning with maximum temperature likely to be around 17 degree Celsius and the minimum to be around 9 degree Celsius. The sky will be partly cloudy and there may not be rains after morning, the official said.

The national capital also recorded 0.5 mm of rain from 8.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. Thursday.

A fog cover that became thick later in the morning affected train and flight services.

According to an airport official, low visibility procedure (LVP) had to be implemented at 10.52 a.m. at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport.

“There have been no diversions and cancellations of flights till now. However, some flights have been delayed,” the official said.

As many as 28 trains were affected because of the fog and the agitation of the Gujjar community for five percent job quota in Rajasthan.

According to a railway official, 21 trains were delayed Thursday. Among these, the Indore-Nizamuddin Intercity was delayed by 32 hours, the Golden Temple Express from Mumbai to Nizamuddin by 19 hours and the Rajdhani from Mumbai to Delhi by more than seven hours.

Six trains, including the Shatabdi between Kanpur and New Delhi and the Ujjain Express from Ujjain to Dehradun, were cancelled and one has been rescheduled.