Winter made its presence felt in Lucknow on Wednesday, as the city recorded its coldest morning of the season with the mercury slipping close to 10°C. IMD officials noted that this sudden nip is the result of cold westerly winds sweeping in from the neighbouring hill states, replacing the warmer easterlies that had dominated the past few days.

Weather experts say the chill is likely to intensify further. The gradual drop observed recently may continue for the next one to two days, bringing colder nights and sharper early-morning breezes.

Even as temperatures dip, the city continues to battle poor air quality. Lucknow’s overall AQI stood at 160 today, falling in the ‘unhealthy’ category. Despite ongoing water-sprinkling drives by civic authorities to curb PM2.5 and PM10 levels, no significant improvement has been recorded yet.

The impact of winter was felt beyond temperatures as well. Dense fog across several parts of North India disrupted air traffic, with operations at Lucknow’s Chaudhary Charan Singh (Amausi) Airport particularly affected. Three flights were cancelled and over a dozen delayed, causing inconvenience to passengers waiting at the terminal.

As for the day’s forecast, Lucknow can expect a mild and pleasant afternoon, with maximum temperatures likely to touch 26.4°C. The minimum tonight is expected to hover around 11°C; a notch higher than the morning but still signaling a firm winter pattern ahead.