Delhi’s minimum temperature rises above 10°C; AQI still very poor

The minimum temperature rose marginally across Delhi on Sunday after remaining below 10°C for the last two days, even as the city’s air quality remained ‘very poor’. Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 11.4°C — a degree above normal, a rise from a low of 9.8°C on Saturday. The IMD has forecast minimum temperature to hover around 11-12°C over the next couple of days, before dipping again as an ongoing western disturbance brings fresh snow to the higher reaches.
“We see a slight rise in minimum temperature when a western disturbance is active as the wind direction becomes variable. There is also increased moisture and cloudiness. There should be adequate snowfall during this spell which will once again make northwest India cold, particularly when the winds pick up again,” said Mahesh Palawat, vice president at Skymet.
The minimum fell below 10°C for the first time this season on November 29, when it was 9.5°C. This was the most delayed fall below 10°C since 2019, when that happened on December 1.
Delhi’s average air quality index (AQI) meanwhile stood at 308 (very poor) at 9 am on Sunday, which was an improvement from Saturday’s 4 pm reading of 346 (very poor). None of the 37 stations online were in severe, with the highest AQI recorded at west Delhi’s Mundka (358), data showed.
The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) classifies AQI between 0 and 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”.
Delhi recorded eight severe air days in November, ending the month with an average AQI of 374, the second highest for November behind 2021 (376). The last severe air day came on November 23, after which AQI has remained below 300.
Forecasts by the Centre’s Early Warning System for Delhi (EWS) state the AQI is likely to stay in the same category till at least December 3.