New Delhi, Jan 3 (IANS): It was a cold Thursday morning in the national capital with the minimum temperature recorded at 6.7 degrees Celsius, one notch below the season's average, the Met Office said.

"There was shallow to dense fog in the morning. The sky will remain mainly clear throughout the day with haze and smoke thereafter," an India Meteorological Department (IMD) official said.

The maximum temperature is expected to hover around 23 degrees Celsius. The humidity at 8.30 a.m. was 100 per cent.

Meanwhile, the pollution level remained 'severe' for the second consecutive day with the air quality index being at 492, according to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research. The major air pollutants were PM 2.5 and PM 10.

Wednesday's maximum temperature settled at 23.4 degrees Celsius, four notches above the season's average, while the minimum temperature was recorded at 6.5 degrees Celsius, one notch below the season's average.