Delhi shivered through its coldest morning of the winter season on Friday as the minimum temperature dropped sharply and light rain added to the chill across parts of the national capital.

The minimum temperature settled at 4.6 degrees Celsius, around 2.3 degrees below the seasonal normal, making it the lowest recorded so far this winter. Several weather stations also reported trace rainfall during the early hours.

Station-wise data showed that Safdarjung recorded a minimum of 4.6 degrees Celsius, 2.3 degrees below normal, while Palam logged 5.0 degrees Celsius, 1.5 degrees below the seasonal average. Lodhi Road recorded 5.2 degrees Celsius, 0.8 degrees below normal, and the Ridge station reported 5.4 degrees Celsius, 1.2 degrees below normal. Ayanagar emerged as the coldest among the listed stations, with the temperature dipping to 4.8 degrees Celsius, 1.2 degrees below the seasonal average.

Rainfall data for the past 24 hours till 8.30 am showed trace rainfall at Safdarjung and Lodhi Road, while Ayanagar received 0.8 mm of rain. No rainfall was recorded at Palam and the Ridge station during the same period.

According to the Regional Weather Forecasting Centre, drizzle is likely at a few places in Delhi, including Akshardham, Lodhi Road, Nehru Stadium, R K Puram, Defence Colony, Lajpat Nagar, Tughlakabad, IGNOU, Ayanagar and Deramandi.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD), in its All India Weather Summary and Forecast Bulletin, said cold wave conditions are likely to persist over parts of north and northwest India, including Delhi-NCR, in the coming days. However, an IMD official said, "It is a chilly morning but no cold wave conditions are threatening yet."

The maximum temperature in the city is expected to hover around 17 degrees Celsius.

Thursday had marked the third coldest morning of the season, with the minimum temperature at Safdarjung settling at 5.8 degrees Celsius, 1.1 degrees below normal. The second lowest minimum temperature was recorded on December 4 and 5 last year at 5.6 degrees Celsius, followed by December 1, when it stood at 5.7 degrees Celsius.

Delhi had earlier recorded its first cold day of the season on January six, when the maximum temperature dropped to 15.7 degrees Celsius, 3.3 degrees below normal, while the minimum settled at 7.6 degrees Celsius. Cold day conditions continued on Wednesday as well, with the maximum temperature recorded at 16.7 degrees Celsius, 2.3 degrees below normal, and the minimum at 8.6 degrees Celsius.

As per IMD norms, cold day conditions are declared when the minimum temperature remains below 10 degrees Celsius and the maximum temperature falls 4.5 to 6.4 degrees Celsius below normal, while cold wave conditions are declared when the minimum temperature drops by 4.5 to 6.4 degrees below normal.

Meanwhile, Delhi’s air quality remained in the ‘very poor’ category, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 325. As many as 26 monitoring stations reported ‘very poor’ air quality, deteriorating from ‘poor’ levels recorded a day earlier.

According to the Central Pollution Control Board, an AQI between 0 and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 to 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 to 200 ‘moderate’, 201 to 300 ‘poor’, 301 to 400 ‘very poor’ and 401 to 500 ‘severe’.