The national capital recorded a minimum of 7.5 degrees Celsius on Friday, the lowest in the month of November in 14 years, according to the India Meteorological Department.
It is Delhi's lowest minimum temperature in November since November 29, 2006, when the city recorded a minimum of 7.3 degrees Celsius, said Kuldeep Srivastava, the head of the IMD's regional forecasting centre.
The city was also on the brink of a cold wave, the first this season.
For the plains, the IMD declares a cold wave when the minimum temperature is 10 degrees Celsius or below and is 4.5 notches less than normal for two consecutive days.
“The criteria has been met on Friday. We will declare a cold wave in Delhi if the situation persists on Saturday,” Srivastava said.
Delhi had recorded the lowest minimum temperature of 11.5 degrees Celsius last year, 10.5 degrees Celsius in 2018 and 7.6 degrees Celsius in 2017 in the month of November.
The all-time record for the lowest minimum temperature in November is 3.9 degrees Celsius recorded on November 28, 1938.
Mahesh Palawat, an expert at Skymet Weather, a private forecasting agency, said cold winds blowing from snow-laden western Himalayas have led to a dip in the mercury and a similar situation will continue till Saturday.
A fresh Western Disturbance is approaching northwest India on November 23. It is likely to increase the minimum temperature by a few notches, he said.
The minimum temperature this month, barring on November 16, has remained 2-3 degree Celsius below normal in the absence of a cloud cover, according to IMD officials.
Clouds trap some of the outgoing infrared radiation and radiate it back downward, warming the ground.
On Thursday, the city recorded a minimum of 9.4 degrees Celsius.
