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Delhi<\/a> experienced its coldest January morning in three years this week as the temperature dropped to around 3 degrees Celsius and a cold wave gripped much of the country\u2019s north-western plains, according to India<\/a>\u2019s weather office.<\/p>\n Near-freezing temperatures were recorded in cities across Haryana<\/a>, Punjab<\/a> and Rajasthan, <\/a>while the satellite city of Gurugram in India<\/a>\u2019s national capital region recorded the near-freezing temperature of 0.6C \u2013 one of its lowest in nearly five decades.<\/p>\n The plunge has made parts of northern India<\/a> colder than several Himalayan<\/a> hill towns, an unusual reversal that has left the region shrouded in dense fog, frost<\/a> and hazardous air quality. Safdarjung, Delhi’s main weather station, recorded 3.2C on Monday. It had recorded 2.6C on 18 Jan 2023.<\/p>\n The temperature in Amritsar<\/a>, a city close to India\u2019s western border, dropped to 1.1C, and Churu, in the desert state of Rajasthan<\/a>, recorded 1.3C. Hisar in Haryana<\/a> was at 2.6C, while hill stations such as Shimla and Mussoorie remained markedly warmer this time, at 8.8C and 7.7C respectively as the Himalayan<\/a> region struggled with low snowfall.<\/p>\n Delhi<\/a>\u2019s typical January minimum ranges between 7C and 9C, making this week\u2019s readings unusually low even by winter standards.<\/p>\n Meteorologists say the pattern has been driven by clear night skies and cold north-westerly winds over the plains, which allow heat to escape rapidly after sunset. In contrast, cloud cover over the Himalayan foothills \u2013 linked to an active western disturbance \u2013 has acted like a blanket, preventing temperatures there from falling as sharply.<\/p>\n \u201cThe night was cloudy over the higher reaches, which is why minimum temperatures remained higher there,\u201d said M Mohapatra, director general of the India Meteorological Department. Over the plains, clear skies led to strong radiative cooling, he said.<\/p>\n The cold has been visible as a cover over the northern Gangetic plains, a satellite image released by Nasa showed. On the ground, frost<\/a> formed on crops, grasslands and car windscreens in and around Gurugram, while dense fog reduced visibility on highways and elevated roads during early morning hours.<\/p>\n