Delhi: Mercury below 10°C for 2nd day; AQI still ‘very poor’

Delhi's minimum temperature remained below 10°C for the second day, while pollution levels stayed "very poor" with an AQI of 346.

Cold, northwesterly winds on Saturday kept Delhi’s minimum temperature below 10 degrees Celsius (°C) for a second day in a row, but the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted that the mercury may rise over the next few days, as a western disturbance affects northwest India.

Qutub Minar shrouded in early morning smog in New Delhi on Saturday. (Vipin Kumar/HT Photo)

The city’s pollution levels, meanwhile, remained in the “very poor” category for a seventh day in a row, with an average air quality index (AQI) reading of 346 at 4pm, according to the national bulletin released by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

IMD data showed that the minimum at the Safdarjung observatory, which is the representative weather station for Delhi, was 9.8°C on Saturday — slightly above the 9.5°C recorded the previous day, and half a degree below the normal for this time of the year.

Other parts of the Capital were even colder: the minimum dropped to 8.4°C at Aya Nagar, followed by Pusa (9°C) and Lodhi Road (9.4°C).

The maximum, meanwhile, was 26.8°C — slightly above the 26.4 recorded the previous day.

“Over the next couple of days, the minimum temperature may rise marginally and is expected to be around 11°C, while the maximum may be around 27°C. Smog and shallow to moderate for can be expected in the morning and evening,” said an IMD official.

“However, if it snows on the northern areas, then the temperature will start dipping again,” the official added.

Meanwhile, the AQI on Saturday was 346, staying in the “very poor” category for the seventh consecutive day.

Forecasts by the Centre’s Early Warning System for Delhi showed the AQI is likely to remain “very poor” over the next six days too.