Nights get cooler as Delhi records lowest min temp

The mercury has started to drop in Delhi at night, with the Capital recording a minimum of 18.5 degrees Celsius (°C) on Thursday – one degree below normal for this time of the year, and the lowest temperature so far this season as winter begins to set in. With cooler northwesterly winds starting to blow towards Delhi-NCR, India Meteorological Department (IMD) officials say the nighttime temperature in Delhi is expected to remain below 20 degrees moving forward, with a drop to 16°C expected in the next seven days. It is not unusual for Delhi to record a minimum temperature below the 20-degree mark by October 13. However, last year, it only dipped to 20.8°C till this time of the year. In 2020, the lowest minimum reported till October 13 was 18.2°C on October 6. In 2019, the lowest in the until this time of the tear was 19.8°C – recorded on October 14. And it fell to as low as 16.6°C on October 13 in 2018. Over the last few years, the minimum temperature in Delhi has even fallen below 13°C by the end of October, shows IMD data. In 2020, it was 12.5°C on October 29, while last year, the lowest minimum for October was 14°C.IMD scientists said the drop in the minimum temperature this year was sharp due to a rain spell between October 7 and 11, which led to a cooling effect across the region. On October 5, Delhi’s minimum temperature was 23.8 degrees, and 22.4°C the day after. But the mercury fell below the 20-degree mark on October 9, when it was 19.3°C, and then stayed below that mark.“The dry and cold northwesterly winds have started to blow in Delhi. These winds are bringing the impact of the snowfall in the mountains to the plains, and there a gradual drop will continue in Delhi’s minimum temperature,” said RK Jenamani, scientist at IMD. He said with the skies becoming clearer, however, the days will become slightly warmer.“The minimum is unlikely to go above 20 degrees now, and it should remain around 18 to 19 degrees in the next few days. It should dip to 16 degrees in the next seven days,” he said.Delhi’s maximum temperature has gradually been rising over the past three days. The Capital recorded a maximum of 31 degrees Celsius on Thursday – 0.7degrees higher than Wednesday’s maximum of 30.3 degrees Celsius. On Tuesday, the maximum temperature in Delhi was 30.1°C . IMD has forecast a maximum temperature of around 31 degrees on Friday, which may rise to around 32 degrees Celsius by October 16. Mahesh Palawat, vice president at Skymet meteorology, said the dry northwesterly winds are often accompanied with clear skies, and while this makes days warmer, the heat dissipates in the night as there are no clouds to trap it. “The city will heat up during the day but lose the same heat quickly during the night. Therefore, days will be warm for the next 10 days or so and nights will be cooler,” he said.Delhi’s air quality index (AQI) showed a slight improvement on Thursday, dipping down to a reading of 130 as per Central Pollution Control Board’s daily national bulletin, released at 4pm. It was 143 (moderate) on Wednesday.The Early Warning System (EWS) forecast shows Delhi’s AQI to remain in the “moderate” range on Friday, while it may hover between “moderate” and “poor” on Saturday.