Delhi shivers through coldest November in 5 years; air quality touches 'hazardous' level

 

Delhi saw an unusually cold November this year, with the month recording an average minimum temperature of 11.5°C up to November 29, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). This is the lowest November average in five years.

On Saturday, the capital city recorded a minimum temperature of 10.4°C, which was 0.1°C higher than normal and 2.3°C higher than Friday’s minimum. While the slight rise brought some relief from the cold, the city’s air quality remained hazardous, staying at the lower end of the “very poor” category.

Earlier this week, Delhi saw its coldest morning in three years when the minimum dropped to 8°C on Wednesday. This was three degrees below normal and the lowest November reading since 2022. In comparison, the city had logged 7.3°C on November 29, 2022, but this year, the temperature has not fallen below the 8°C mark so far.

IMD’s monthly data shows that the last time Delhi recorded a cooler November was in 2020, when the average minimum was 10.3°C. That year, the national capital had seven days with minimum temperatures below 8°C. The temperature had fallen to 7.5°C on November 15, and the month’s lowest minimum was 6.3°C, recorded on November 23, 2020.

In contrast, the average minimum temperatures from 2021 to 2024 were 11.9°C, 12.3°C, 13°C and 14.7°C.

On Saturday, Delhi also saw a sunny morning with clear skies. The maximum temperature touched 26.5°C, close to the season’s normal. The average maximum temperature for November stood at 27.6°C, similar to 2023 and 2020, but lower than last year’s 29.4°C.

Meteorologists said higher nighttime humidity and falling temperatures are creating secondary pollutants, preventing any major improvement in air quality. Western disturbances earlier in the month also pushed temperatures down.

IMD said no new western disturbance is approaching, so winds will remain light and minimum temperatures may dip again.

Cyclonic storm Ditwah is slowing wind flow over north India, keeping conditions stagnant and air quality poor. The IMD expects early December to stay mostly dry, with minimum temperatures falling more once the cyclonic system weakens. Maximum temperatures are likely to remain stable for the next five days.

Pollution Update

Despite clearer skies, Delhi’s pollution levels remained severe on Sunday. The overall AQI stood at 327, placing the city in the hazardous range. Real-time data showed PM2.5 at 327, PM10 at 198, and CO at 34, with ozone and nitrogen oxide levels remaining comparatively low. Temperature was recorded at 21°C, humidity at 44%, and wind speed at 1 km/h, contributing to highly stagnant conditions.

Localised monitoring also revealed major hotspots. Shadipur recorded the highest pollution levels this morning at 336, followed by RK Puram at 308, both in the ‘very poor’ category. Other pollution-heavy areas such as Burari (283), Bawana (295), Sirifort (295), Wazirpur (282), Chandni Chowk (281), Anand Vihar (281), Narela (279), Punjabi Bagh (266) and JLN Stadium (269) remained firmly in the ‘poor’ zone.

(With inputs from PTI)