E-Paper
Delhi’s air quality remains ‘very poor’; min temp 4 degrees below normal at 5.6°C
An Air Quality Index (AQI) of 323 (very poor) was recorded at 8am on Friday, compared to 304 (very poor) at 4pm on Thursday
Delhi’s air quality remained “very poor” on Friday, even as the minimum temperature of 5.6°C was four degrees below normal and the season’s lowest for a second day.
Isolated cold wave conditions were expected to persist in parts of northwest India until December 5 due to cold northwesterly winds from snow-clad mountains to the plains.
On Thursday, the mercury also dipped to 5.6°C and 6.4°C a day earlier. The minimum temperature of 5.7°C on December 1 was the coldest start to the month since at least 2011. By this time last year, the lowest minimum had been 8°C on November 26. In 2023, it was 9.5°C on November 29. In 2022, the lowest minimum temperature until December 5 was 7.6°C (December 5).
Private forecaster Skymet Weather vice president Mahesh Palawat said strong cold northwesterly winds are impacting the plains, including Delhi-National Capital Region. “These strong winds are also impacting AQI [Air Quality Index] to an extent, not letting it rise rapidly,” he said.
An AQI of 323 (very poor) was recorded at 8am on Friday, compared to 304 (very poor) at 4pm on Thursday. The AQI was expected to stay in the “very poor” range until at least December 7.
