NEW DELHI: The national capital recorded the lowest minimum temperature of the season on Thursday, December 9, 2021, as the mercury dropped to 8.4 degrees Celsius. The low temperature was one of the factors behind the slight deterioration in air quality though remaining in the ‘poor’ category, said weather officials.
On Thursday the minimum temperature at Safdarjung weather station was 8.4 degrees Celsius — a notch below normal for this time of the year. The maximum temperature was 23.5 degrees Celsius, a notch below the season’s normal, according to IMD data. Forecasters said cloudy skies over Delhi in the last few days were preventing temperatures from falling, because of which both day and night temperatures remained above normal.
“When there are cloudy skies, the heat from the surface gets trapped and cooling does not happen at a faster rate. Now that Delhi is likely to have clearer skies the minimum temperatures will remain around 7-8 degrees Celsius,” said Mahesh Palawat, vice-president (meteorology and climate change), Skymet Weather Services.
Palawat added that heavy snowfall in the western Himalayas has also contributed in bringing down Delhi’s temperatures, as winds from snow-clad mountains are blowing over the city. Clear skies also helped keep the pollution levels in Delhi in the ‘poor’ zone on Thursday. CPCB data showed that the average air quality index of Delhi was 289, a marginal deterioration from Wednesday’s 237.