Delhi sees coldest January morning since 2024; AQI worsens
New Delhi (PTI): Since 2024, Delhi recorded its coldest January morning on Friday, with a biting chill gripping the city as temperatures dropped to their lowest levels so far this winter, according to the India Meteorological Department.
The maximum temperature in the national capital settled at 19.7 degrees Celsius, which was 0.7 degrees above normal, indicating near-normal daytime conditions despite the sharp overnight cooling and parts of Delhi witnessing light rainfall.
The minimum temperature plunged to 4.6 degrees Celsius, 2.3 degrees below the seasonal normal, marking the coldest morning of the ongoing winter season.
The last comparable lows were recorded on December 4 and 5 last year, when the mercury dipped to 5.6 degrees Celsius, followed by December 1, when it stood at 5.7 degrees.
According to the weather observations recorded, maximum temperatures across Delhi varied across stations, with Safdarjung recording a high of 19.7 degrees, which was 0.7 degrees above normal.
Ayanagar followed closely with a maximum of 19.0 degrees Celsius, 2.1 degrees above normal, while Lodhi Road recorded 18.8 degrees Celsius.
The Ridge station logged a maximum temperature of 17.9 degrees Celsius, whereas Palam recorded the lowest daytime maximum among the listed stations at 17.2 degrees.
Station-wise data showed Safdarjung recording a minimum temperature of 4.6 degrees Celsius, while Palam logged 5 degrees, Lodhi Road 5.2 degrees, and the Ridge 5.4 degrees.
On the rainfall front, Safdarjung and Lodhi Road recorded trace rainfall during the past 24 hours till 8.30 am, while Ayanagar received 0.8 mm of rainfall. Palam and the Ridge station recorded no rain during the same period.
The IMD said dense fog was observed at several places, and a yellow alert for dense fog has been issued. Relative humidity stood at 100 per cent at 8.30 am, dropping to 73 per cent by 5.30 pm, leading to reduced visibility during the morning hours.
Cold wave conditions are likely to persist over parts of north and northwest India, including Delhi-NCR, in the coming days, though no severe cold wave conditions are threatening yet, the weather office said.
Meanwhile, Delhi's air quality remained in the 'very poor' category, with the 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) at 345. Up to 26 monitoring stations reported very poor air quality, deteriorating from poor levels recorded a day earlier.
As per the Central Pollution Control Board classification, an AQI between 0–50 is considered 'good', 51–100 'satisfactory', 101–200 'moderate', 201–300 'poor', 301–400 'very poor', and 401–500 'severe'.
According to the Decision Support System (DSS), vehicular emissions remained the biggest contributor to Delhi's pollution load at 16.9 per cent, followed by Delhi and peripheral industries at 13.1 per cent. Other local sources included waste burning (1.6 per cent), construction activities (2.1 per cent) and residential emissions (4.3 per cent).
Among neighbouring NCR districts, pollution contribution was led by Sonipat (13 per cent), followed by Baghpat (8.9 per cent), Jhajjar (5.5 per cent), Ghaziabad (5.4 per cent), Panipat (4.8 per cent) and Gautam Buddh Nagar (1.7 per cent).
According to the Air Quality Early Warning System, the air quality is likely to remain in the 'very poor' category on January 10, while it is expected to improve slightly to the 'poor' category from January 11 to January 12, provided meteorological conditions remain favourable.
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Delhi records season's coldest morning
New Delhi (PTI): The national capital on Saturday recorded a minimum temperature of 4.2 degrees Celsius, which was 2.7 notches below the season's average, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
With this, Delhi recorded the coldest morning of the ongoing winter season since 2024.
The previous coldest January day in the past years was recorded on January 15, 2024, when the minimum temperature had plunged to 3.3 degrees Celsius, triggering cold wave conditions across the national capital.
Station-wise data showed that the minimum temperature at Safdarjung settled at 4.2 degrees Celsius, Palam recorded 4.5 degrees Celsius, Lodhi Road reported 4.7 degrees Celsius, the Ridge station registered 5.3 degrees Celsius, while Ayanagar also recorded 4.5 degrees Celsius, indicating a sharp dip across Delhi's weather stations.
Today's reading was followed by Friday's second-coldest morning of the season, when the minimum temperature had dropped to 4.6 degrees Celsius.
The third-lowest minimum temperature of the current season was recorded earlier on December 4 and December 5 last year, when the mercury had settled at 5.6 degrees Celsius, followed closely by December 1, when the minimum temperature stood at 5.7 degrees Celsius.
IMD has predicted dense fog conditions during the day.
Relative humidity was recorded at 100 per cent at 9 am.
The air quality was recorded in the 'very poor' category at 9 am on Saturday, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) reading of 366, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data showed.
According to the CPCB, an AQI between zero and 50 is considered 'good', 51 to 100 'satisfactory', 101 to 200 'moderate', 201 to 300 'poor', 301 to 400 'very poor', and 401 to 500 'severe'.
