New Delhi, Dec 28 (IANS): Delhi might be seeing the coldest December in a century after the year 1997 as there have been only four years in the last 100 years where the mean temperature during the month was less than 20 degrees Celsius.

According to Skymet Weather, the mean maximum temperature recorded for the month of December from 1901 to 2018 show that there have only been four years i.e. 1919, 1929, 1961 and 1997 wherein the mean maximum temperature was less than 20 degrees.

In December 2019, till December 26, the mean maximum temperature (MMT) is 19.85 degrees and the expected MMT for December 2019 is 19.15 degrees. If this happens, then December 2019 will be the second coldest December of the century after the year 1997, where it was 17.3 degrees, Skymet Weather said.

This season, the lowest maximum temperature recorded in Delhi this December has been 12.2 degrees, recorded on December 18, at the Safdarjung observatory and was 11.4 degrees on December 25, 2019, at Palam.

Since December 17, day maximums for Delhi have not gone beyond 16 degrees Celsius, barring one occasion.

Severe cold day conditions have been prevailing in Delhi NCR since December 14, making it a 13-day spell, equalling 1997's record spell.