‘Mercury may dip to 6°C by weekend’
Delhi’s minimum temperature fell to 7.3 degrees Celsius on Tuesday – three degrees below normal and the lowest so far this season, the Met department said, forecasting a further dip to around 6 degrees Celsius (°C ) by Sunday.
Before Tuesday, Delhi’s lowest minimum temperature this season was 7.6°C on Monday.
Delhi’s air quality also deteriorated on Tuesday, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) reading of 369 (very poor), according to the Central Pollution Control Board’s daily 4pm bulletin -- a sharp drop from the AQI of 333 recorded on Monday, and the worst air that the Capital has seen since November 8 (372).
Experts attributed the decline in air quality to a combination of low temperatures and calm winds. Met officials said the wind is calm because a fresh western disturbance is due to influence Delhi-ncr on December 1 and 2 (Thursday and Friday), with shallow fog expected in the region from Wednesday.
“When a western disturbance approaches, there is a change in wind direction. Wind becomes calm before the western disturbance hits the region. Wind speed will once again pick up from Wednesday but there will be no drop in temperature for two or three days,” said RK Jenamani, scientist at India Meteorological Department (IMD), adding this western disturbance will also increase the moisture content in the air, leading to shallow fog in the early hours.
“Until now, there was no fog as there was very little moisture in the air. Compared to northwesterly winds which are dry and cold, southeasterly winds are warmer, but bring moisture,” he added.