Delhi's Minimum Temperature Drops Below 10°C for the First Time This Season, AQI Hits "Very Poor"

New Deli (The Uttam Hndu): On Friday, Delhi recorded its first sub-10°C temperature of the season, with the minimum temperature dropping to 9.5°C, as the city's air quality continued to remain "very poor." According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), a slight rise in minimum temperatures is expected over the weekend as a western disturbance begins to affect the region.

In the past four days, there has been a significant drop in the minimum temperatures, driven by stronger northwesterly winds. The temperature was 14°C on November 25, 11.9°C on November 26, 10.4°C on November 27, and 10.1°C on November 28. Long-term records show that last year, the lowest minimum in November was 9.2°C (November 23). In 2022, it was 7.3°C (November 29), while in 2021, it was 9.2°C (November 24), and 6.3°C in 2020 (November 23).

At 9 am, the 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 329, slightly worse than Thursday's 325, indicating "very poor" air quality. Two of the 39 online monitoring stations in Delhi reported "severe" air quality, with Bawana recording the highest AQI at 426. According to the Early Warning System for Delhi, the AQI is expected to remain in the "very poor" range through the weekend. The AQI classifications are as follows: 0-50 (good), 51-100 (satisfactory), 101-200 (moderate), 201-300 (poor), 301-400 (very poor), and over 400 (severe).