Delhi records early chill at 9.7°C as AQI remains poor

The minimum was down from Friday’s low of 10.2°C. Notably, this is the earliest since November 2020 that the minimum temperature has dipped below 10°C.

In a first this winter season, the minimum temperature dipped below the 10 degree-Celsius (°C) mark in the Capital, clocking at 9.7°C, which was 3.8°C below normal for the season.

The lowest visibility of the day was recorded at 1,000 metres in Palam at 8am, which improved during the day and was around 2,100 metres at 9pm on Saturday. (RAJ K RAJ /HT PHOTO)

The minimum was down from Friday’s low of 10.2°C. Notably, this is the earliest since November 2020 that the minimum temperature has dipped below 10°C. Last year, it dipped below the 10°C mark on November 29, when it was recorded as 9.5°C. In 2020, it went below the mark on November 15, clocking out at 9.7°C.

The maximum temperature on Saturday was recorded at 26.6°C, 1.9°C below the normal and slightly up from 26.4°C a day before.

Forecasts by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) suggest that the minimum temperature is expected to be around 9-11°C on Sunday and drop to 8-10°C by Monday. The maximum temperature has been forecast to be around 24-26°C on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the lowest visibility of the day was recorded at 1,000 metres in Palam at 8am, which improved during the day and was around 2,100 metres at 9pm on Saturday.

While the IMD had issued cold wave warnings in the Capital earlier this week, no such weather conditions have been recorded yet. IMD classifies it as a cold wave when the minimum temperature is 4.5°C or more below the normal. Saturday’s minimum temperature was 3.8°C below the normal for this time of the year.

Notably, cold wave conditions in the month of November have only been declared in 2020 and 2014 so far, as per IMD data since 2011.

Mahesh Palawat, vice president at Skymet, said, “No significant drop in temperature has been forecasted. We might see a marginal dip in the minimum temperature in the coming days.”

An IMD official said, “Mainly clear skies were observed on Saturday and is expected to continue on Sunday as well, with mist or shallow fog forming in the morning hours. From Monday, shallow fog might form at most places and moderate fog at isolated places in the early hours of the day.”

Meanwhile, Delhi’s air quality remained in the upper end of the “very poor” category and the 24-hour average air quality (AQI) was clocked at 386 (very poor) at 4pm, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board’s daily national bulletin. The AQI was 387 a day before.

According to the CPCB, an AQI of 51–100 is classified as “satisfactory”, 101–200 is “moderate”, 201–300 is “poor”, 301–400 is “very poor”, and a reading above 400 is “severe”.

Palawat said, “The wind speed remained consistent throughout the day at around 15kmph, similar to Friday. As a result, the pollution levels did not change much. The wind direction is expected to be coming from the northwest and west for at least the next five to six days. The wind speed is also likely to remain consistent for the next couple of days.”

Forecasts by the Air Quality Early Warning System (AQEWS) for Delhi, meanwhile, suggest that the AQI is expected to return to the “severe” category by Monday.

“The air quality is likely to be in the ‘very poor’ category Sunday. It will be in the ‘severe’ category from Monday to Tuesday. The outlook for the subsequent six days is that the air quality is likely to be in the ‘severe’ to ‘very poor’ category,” said the AQEWS bulletin on Saturday evening.