Delhi’s minimum temperature drops to 8°C

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), cold northwesterly winds have been keeping Delhi’s minimum temperature below the 10-degree mark since last November 18.

Delhi on Wednesday recorded a minimum temperature of 8 degrees Celsius -- three degrees below normal for this time of the year, and the lowest minimum of the current winter season so far

New Delhi, India - Nov. 23, 2022: People are seen wearing warm clothes on a cold winter morning at Tilak Bridge railway station in New Delhi, India, on Wednesday, November 23, 2022. (Photo by Arvind Yadav/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), cold northwesterly winds have been keeping Delhi’s minimum temperature below the 10-degree mark since last November 18, and forecasts show that the minimum is likely to hover around the 8-degree mark on Thursday, before rising to around 9°C on Friday.

However, Wednesday was a relatively warm and sunny day, with Delhi’s maximum temperature recorded at 27°C -- one degree above normal. The maximum is likely to remain around the 26-27 degree mark till Sunday.

“Northwesterly winds have remained strong over the last few days and they will continue to influence Delhi’s temperature at night. During the day, there is not enough cloud cover and so there is enough sunlight to lead to a high maximum. At night time, mercury is likely to remain around 8-9 degrees Celsius until Sunday,” said a Met official, on condition of anonymity.

The northwesterly winds have also led to a slight improvement in Delhi’s air quality, with the city recording an air quality index (AQI) of 237 (poor), as per Central Pollution Control Board’s national bulletin, released at 4 pm each day. This was a slight improvement on Tuesday’s AQI of 255 (poor).

Forecasts by the 10-day Early Warning System (EWS) for Delhi, used by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), shows the capital is unlikely to record another ‘severe’ air day until the end of the month, with Delhi’s AQI likely to oscillate between ‘poor’ and ‘very poor’ over the next seven days.

“The air quality is likely to deteriorate and reach the ‘very poor’ category on November 25, owing to low wind speed and poor ventilation. The air quality is likely to remain in the ‘very poor’ category on November 26 and the subsequent six days,” said EWS.

The CPCB classifies an AQI between 0-50 as ‘good’, between 51 and 100 as ‘satisfactory’, between 101 and 200 as ‘moderate’, between 201 and 300 as ‘poor’, between 301 and 400 as ‘very poor’ and over 400 as ‘severe’.

So far, Delhi has only recorded three ‘severe’ air days this month, all coming in the first four days of November. Based on CPCB data from the year 2015, this is the lowest number of ‘severe’ air days for November, if the forecasts hold true.