Intense cold coupled with dense fog paralysed normal life and disrupted rail and air traffic in the national capital today with the mercury dipping to a record low of 2.6 degrees Celsius.
As many as 73 flights were delayed due to fog at Delhi airport, nearly 70 trains were running late in the region.
According to the MeT department, respite from the winter chill is unlikely tomorrow as the minimum temperature is predicted to settle around 3 degrees Celsius.
"The minimum temperature is likely to settle at 3 degrees and the maximum will be around 18 degrees Celsius. Moderate/ dense fog will engulf the city tomorrow morning," a MeT official said.
"The minimum temperature recorded at 8.30 AM today was 2.6 degrees Celsius, five notches below normal," the official said, adding "this is the lowest temperature recorded in Delhi in past five years. It could be the lowest in past decade too but records for the same aren't immediately available."
The maximum was recorded at 18.3 degrees Celsius, two notches below normal.
Delhi's all time low of 1.1 degrees Celsius was recorded on 26 December, 1945.
"The humidity recorded was 100 per cent. The visibility at 8.30 AM was barely 50 metres and was recorded at 500 metres in the evening," he said.
The weatherman has predicted mainly clear for tomorrow afternoon.
According to the airport authorities, flight operations were severely affected at the Indira Gandhi International Airport. "While 73 flights were delayed due to fog, 17 of them diverted and six cancelled," an airport official said.
Early morning dense fog also affected movement of about 70 trains including 50 north-bound trains. Four trains had to be cancelled and six of them rescheduled, a Northern Railway spokesperson said.
Yesterday, the national capital had recorded the second lowest temperature of the season with the mercury dipping to 4.8 degrees Celsius, three notches below normal, though the afternoon was comparatively warmer.
The maximum temperature had settled at 19.2 degrees Celsius.
