India, Jan. 2 -- Cold northwesterly winds were expected to pick up speed during the day on Friday, and keep the maximum temperature between 16-18degC, even as shallow fog enveloped Delhi and the air quality improved to the lower end of the "very poor" range.

The mercury went up to 17.3degC on Thursday, which was two degrees below normal. On Wednesday, Delhi recorded the lowest maximum temperature of 14.2degC since December 29, 2019, when it was 13.3degC.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an orange alert for Friday, forecasting dense to very dense fog in parts of the city. A yellow alert is in place for moderate to dense fog on Saturday.

A sharp dip in the minimum temperature was expected from January 4, with no western d...