Hyderabad reels under decade’s coldest winter
HYDERABAD: Cold northeasterly winds have tightened winter’s grip on Hyderabad, pushing night temperatures 6–7 degrees Celsius below normal. The chill has persisted through the day, with cold conditions felt both indoors and outdoors.
On Saturday morning, Serilingampally at the University of Hyderabad campus recorded a minimum temperature of 6.3 degrees Celsius, the lowest in the city this season. The cold spell, described as the harshest in a decade, has continued since November and intensified through December.
A similar low was last recorded on January 12, 2015, when Marredpally saw a minimum of 6.7 degrees Celsius. That record was broken on December 12 this year with 6.3 degrees Celsius. Dense fog has been reported during early morning hours, reducing visibility across several areas.
Experts have advised residents to avoid travel during foggy conditions unless essential and to limit outdoor movement during peak cold hours.
Meanwhile, discrepancies in minimum temperature data released by agencies have caused confusion. The India Meteorological Department reported a minimum of 7 degrees Celsius in Patancheru on Friday, while the Telangana State Development Planning Society put the figure at 11.6 degrees Celsius.
