NEW DELHI: The national capital on Tuesday woke up to an unusually cool morning, recording a minimum temperature of 21 degrees Celsius 2.3 notches below normal marking one of the sharpest late-September dips in recent years, according to the India Meteorological Department.
IMD data showed that Tuesday’s reading was the lowest minimum temperature recorded in September in Delhi since 2008. The city’s lowest September minimum since 2001 stands at 20.8 degrees, recorded on September 6, 2008, while the third-lowest was 21.1 degrees on September 19, 2024.
Temperatures had also dropped slightly lower on September 29 and 30, 2000, when Delhi recorded 20.6 degrees and 20.7 degrees, respectively, though these figures fall outside the IMD’s “since 2001” comparison bracket.
At the Safdarjung observatory, the city’s primary weather station, the minimum temperature was also recorded at 21 degrees on Sunday, indicating that the cooler spell has persisted for multiple days. Other parts of the capital also reported below-normal readings.
Palam recorded 19.7 degrees, 3.8 degrees below normal, while Lodi Road registered 20.4 degrees, 1.6 degrees below normal. The Ridge station saw a sharper dip at 16.9 degrees, 6 degrees below normal, while Ayanagar recorded 20.6 degrees, 2 degrees below normal.
Despite the cooler mornings, daytime conditions remained relatively warm, with the maximum temperature settling at around 32.4 degrees on Tuesday under partly cloudy skies, the IMD said. Cumulative rainfall recorded up to 8.30 am stood at 1 mm at Palam, 0.2 mm at the Ridge and 0.7 mm at Ayanagar, while Safdarjung and Lodi Road reported trace rainfall. Meanwhile, the air quality remained in the “satisfactory” category, with the Air Quality Index recorded at 71 at 4 pm, according to the Central Pollution Control Board.
Mahesh Palawat, vice-president of private weather agency Skymet, said scattered rain in the last few days had brought down temperatures, but temperatures remained well above normal for most of the month.