Delhi set to record coldest November in decade, AQI remains 'poor'

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NEW DELHI: The national capital is all set to record coldest November in at least 10 years, with the mean minimum temperature for the month this year hovering around 10 degrees Celsius, according to India Meteorological Department data. In Delhi, the average minimum temperature for the month of November is 12.9 degrees Celsius.

From November 1 to November 29, the city has recorded a mean minimum temperature of 10.3 degrees Celsius, which is the lowest in at least a decade, according to IMD data.

The mean minimum temperature was 15 degrees Celsius last year, 13.4 degrees Celsius in 2018 and 12.8 degrees Celsius in 2017 and 2016. On Sunday, Delhi recorded a minimum of 7 degrees Celsius. This is the seventh day this month that the minimum temperature remained below 10 degrees Celsius.

The minimum temperature is likely to settle around 7 degrees Celsius on Monday as well, according to IMD.

On November 23, Delhi recorded a minimum of 6.3 degrees Celsius -- its lowest minimum temperature in the month since November 2003, when the city recorded a minimum of 6.1 degrees Celsius, according to Kuldeep Srivastava, the head of the IMD's regional forecasting centre.

The minimum temperature this month, barring on November 16, has remained 2-3 degrees Celsius below normal in the absence of a cloud cover on most days, according to IMD officials.

Clouds trap some of the outgoing infrared radiation and radiate it back downward, warming the ground. The month of October was the coldest in 58 years in the national capital. The mean minimum temperature in October this year was 17.2 degrees Celsius, the lowest since 1962, when it was 16.9 degrees Celsius.

Meanwhile, the national capital's air quality continues to remain in the 'poor' category, a day after favourable wind speed helped it improve significantly. With winds slowing down, government agencies said the air quality is likely to deteriorate further.

On Sunday (Nov 28), the AQI was recorded at 262 at 10:00 am. The city's 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) was 231 on Saturday. It was 137 on Friday, 302 on Thursday and 413 on Wednesday.

An AQI between zero and 50 is considered 'good', 51 and 100 'satisfactory', 101 and 200 'moderate', 201 and 300 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', and 401 and 500 'severe'.