On Thursday, the national capital had a minimum temperature of 10.2°C, which is two degrees below normal, as opposed to 11.2°C the day before and 12.3°C on Tuesday.
Even as the minimum temperature continued to drop and hit the season’s low, Delhi’s air quality improved to the “very poor” category on Thursday, breaking a five-day run of “severe” pollution levels.
According to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data, Thursday’s 9 a.m. ACQI of 376 (very poor) was an improvement above Wednesday’s 4 p.m. reading of 419 (severe). Eleven of the 38 stations with air quality ratings were classified as severe at 9 a.m. The rest were classified as “extremely poor.” There were two stations that had gone down.
Between 0 and 50, the CPCB considers the AQI to be “excellent,” 51 to 100, “acceptable,” 101 to 200, “moderate,” “poor,” “very poor,” and more than 400 as “severe.”
Monday’s AQI hit 494, the second-highest level ever. Since November 16 it had been “severe.” The average AQI was 396 on November 15 (extremely bad).
Delhi Weather: Fog Subsides, Sunny Day Ahead After Temperature Dip
In contrast to Tuesday’s 12.3°C and yesterday’s 11.2°C, Thursday’s minimum temperature was 10.2°C, two degrees below average. Four days have seen a dip of about 6°C.
Because a reduction in temperature slows down winds, pollutants have a harder time dispersing, which has a detrimental effect on air quality. But when the fog over northwest India subsided, daytime temperatures were climbing once more.
According to the India Meteorological Department, there were no reports of dense fog around 8:30 a.m. anywhere in the nation.
Low fog intensity allows sunlight to reach the surface throughout the day, promoting surface breezes and mixing height, an undetectable layer of the atmosphere where pollutants are contained.This was not the case on Monday, when Delhi’s AQI was 494. All day long, there was dense fog that prevented the sun’s rays from penetrating the surface.
Mahesh Palawat, the vice president of Skymet Meteorology, a private forecasting firm, stated that the fog has subsided and that the daytime is now sunny once more. “The wind is moving more quickly now than it did before.”
