Delhi records coldest Dec day on Monday since 1901

NEW DELHI, Dec 30: Monday was the coldest day the Indian capital witnessed in 119 years, the India Meteorological Department said today, with the maximum temperature being recorded at just 9.4 degrees Celsius. Delhi also witnessed dense fog in the morning.
Normal operations were suspended at Delhi airport due to low visibility. 530 flights were delayed, 16 flights diverted and four flights were cancelled due to heavy fog and poor visibility, an official said on Monday. All classes up to standard eight will remain suspended on December 31 and January 1 in all private and government schools across Noida and Greater Noida due to cold weather.
The visibility in Delhi ranged from 0-50 metres on Sunday morning even as the air quality dipped to 'severe' category. The Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 462 in Anand Vihar and at 494 in Okhla Phase-2. Train services were also affected at New Delhi railway station, with 30 trains running late due to low visibility in the Northern Railway region.
Delhi has been gripped in a numbing cold for the past several weeks and the mean temperatures are lower here because of fog and no sunshine. From December 31 onwards, rain is likely in the capital city and its adjoining areas such as Noida, Gurugram, Ghaziabad and Faridabad.
This weather phenomenon is likely to continue till January 3, predicted the weather forecast agency. A significant increase in wind speed is expected over Delhi-NCR from the evening of December 31 under the influence of approaching western disturbance and easterly winds in the lower level. A hailstorm is also expected on January 1-2, 2020.
Earlier, the IMD had said that the national capital is likely to witness the second coldest December of this century as the mean maximum temperature (MMT) till December 26 was recorded at 19.85 degrees. It had said that if the mean maximum temperature dips to 19.15 degrees by December 31 then it will be the second coldest December since 1901.     -ANI