Delhi temperature drops to 19 degrees ahead of Diwali, air quality 'moderate'

Air quality index was 169, indicating moderate pollution. The temperature drop is attributed to La Nina, which may lead to a colder winter across India.

The national capital on Monday recorded clear skies and a fairly pleasant weather as the its regional meteorological centre predicted maximum temperature to settle around 32 degrees Celsius and minimum temperature around 19 degrees Celsius.

Clear skies shroud Delhi as the city sees a drop in temperature, and slight rise in pollution levels. (Raj K Raj /Hindustan Times)

At around 9.53 am, humidity levels hovered around 86 per cent with no chances of rainfall and the temperature stood at a comfortable mark of 22.6 degrees Celsius.

Delhi has also been experiencing a slight rise in pollution levels ahead of Diwali. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), air quality index at 10 am was 169, which falls in the ‘moderate’ category.

An AQI between zero and 50 is considered 'good', 51 and 100 'satisfactory', 101 and 200 'moderate', 201 and 300 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', and 401 and 500 'severe'.

Sunrise on Monday occurred at 6.21 am and it is expected to set at 5.54 pm. General visibility at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport stood at 2,200 meters at around 10.03 am.

Delhi gears up for chilling temperatures

The city woke up to a slight nip in the air as the season began to turn.

According to the experts at the India Meteorological Department (IMD), La Nina may lead to a colder winter in several parts of India, especially the north. That means cold waves and increased snowfall in hilly regions.

Snowfall continued throughout the week in higher-altitude Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, while rain lashed the lower parts of the state. As a result, Delhi and parts of the northern plains have also seen a sharp dip in temperature in recent days.

With snowfall already blanketing the higher reaches of the northern states, the entire Indian subcontinent is set to see the winter season earlier than usual this year.

The northeast monsoon season (October–December) is also expected to be wetter than usual, especially over Tamil Nadu, Kerala, coastal Andhra Pradesh, and adjoining regions, where rainfall could exceed 112 per cent of the average.