Delhi weather update: At 1.1 degrees in few spots, New Year brings with it dense fog

New Year brought teeth-chattering cold to some areas of the national capital, as the mercury plunged to 1.1 degree Celsius in these places -- the lowest this season so far, the India Meteorological Department's data showed on Friday.

According to the head of the IMD's regional forecasting centre, Kuldeep Srivastava, very dense fog lowered the visibility to zero metres in Delhi early morning. Foggy weather is again predicted for January 7.

Earlier, the city had recorded a minimum of 0.2 degree Celsius in January 2006, according to the IMD.

The Safdarjung Observatory, which provides representative data for the city, recorded a minimum of 1.1 degrees Celsius while Lodhi Road weather station logged 1.4 degrees Celsius; though Ayanagar recorded 4 degrees Celsius, and it was 4.1 at Palam and 5.2 on the Ridge.

"Delhi's Safdarjung recorded coldest morning of January in a decade, with minimum of 1.1 degrees Celsius. It was 1.9 degrees recorded on January 6 in 2013. The lowest ever it reached was on January 16 in 1935 when it recorded minus 0.6.

"Temperatures will rise tomorrow (Saturday). Rain is possible between January 3 and 5," said Mahesh Palawat from private weather forecasting agency Skymet Weather.

The IMD has also predicted "generally cloudy sky with light rain or drizzle" on Saturday and Sunday; and "thunderstorm with hail" on January 4; while it will be "generally cloudy sky with light rain" for January 5.

The mercury will also rise to 8 degrees Celsius by January 5, according to the data.

Many parts of the northwestern plains have been recording sub-zero or near zero degree Celsius minimum temperatures from the last two days.

On Thursday, Hisar in Haryana had recorded minus 1.2 degrees Celsius while Churu in Rajasthan logged minus 1.3 degree Celsius.

Meanwhile, Delhi's air quality continued to deteriorate on Friday, with the hourly average air quality index (AQI) recording 411, in the 'severe' zone. On Thursday, it was 347 in the 'very poor' category.

The System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, has issued a stringent warning, asking everyone to avoid physical activity outdoors and consult doctor if they experience unusual coughing, chest discomfort, wheezing, breathing difficulty, or fatigue.