NEW DELHI: The city recorded the lowest October temperature in 75 years, with residents reaching for windbreakers and heavy shawls on Friday as persistent rain brought an unusual winter chill to the capital, and the maximum temperature plunged to 20.7 degrees Celsius.
The city also witnessed its wettest October day in four years and recorded its cleanest October air in more than a decade, with the daily Air Quality Index (AQI) settling at 60, its lowest since October 10, 2022, when it stood at 44.
Delhi’s monthly average AQI also marked a significant improvement. According to an analysis by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), the average AQI for October stood at 167, the lowest for the month since 2015, making it the cleanest October in more than a decade.
However, the improvement may be short-lived. The Air Quality Early Warning System has forecast that Delhi’s air quality will remain in the ‘moderate’ category on Saturday before deteriorating to ‘poor’ on November 1. The outlook for the following six days suggests that pollution levels could remain in the ‘poor’ and ‘very poor’ categories.
Dark clouds blanketed the capital throughout the day, while intermittent spells of rain and shallow fog during the early morning and late evening hours kept temperatures unusually low. The maximum temperature at Safdarjung, Delhi’s base weather station, was 10.3 degrees below normal, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Available records show that this was the lowest October maximum at the station since 1951.
Other weather stations also recorded temperatures significantly below normal. Palam registered a maximum of 20.5 degrees Celsius, 11.1 degrees below normal, while Lodhi Road recorded 20.6 degrees Celsius, 10.4 degrees below normal. The Ridge and Ayanagar recorded maximum temperatures of 20.8 degrees Celsius and 20.4 degrees Celsius, respectively, around 10 degrees below normal.
Delhi received 61.4 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours ending 8.30 am on Friday, following ‘red’ and ‘orange’ alerts issued by the weather office warning of heavy rain. Rain continued through the day, with Safdarjung recording another 4.2 mm,
Palam 3 mm, Lodhi Road 4 mm, the Ridge 1.9 mm, and Ayanagar 2.1 mm between 8.30 am and 5.30 pm. Friday was the wettest October day in four years and the sixth-wettest since 1951. The last time the city recorded higher daily rainfall in October was on October 9, 2022, when it received 74 mm.
On Saturday, the maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to settle around 24 degrees Celsius and 16 degrees Celsius, respectively, with partly cloudy skies.
Weather dept forecasts partly cloudy sky for today
Delhi received 61.4 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours ending 8.30 am on Friday, following ‘red’ and ‘orange’ alerts issued by the weather office warning of heavy rain. On Saturday, the maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to settle around 24 degrees Celsius and 16 degrees Celsius, respectively, with partly cloudy skies.
