New Delhi: Following a bout of light rain, the capital city experienced a drop in minimum temperature to 10 degrees Celsius on Sunday. Some areas witnessed drizzling, prompting weather authorities to anticipate a further decline in mercury levels and the onset of dense fog in the upcoming days.
A marginal increase in wind speeds on Sunday contributed to a slight improvement in the air quality index, although it continued to linger in the “very poor” category. According to the Central Pollution Control Board, the 24-hour average AQI measured 314 at 4 pm on Sunday, a decrease from the 353 recorded a day earlier. The AQI is expected to persist in the “very poor” range for the next three days, as indicated by the Early Warning System.
Kuldeep Srivastava, a scientist at the India Meteorological Department, explained, “Wind speed increased slightly on Sunday, touching 6-8 km/hr in parts, while it was around 4-5 km/hr on Saturday. There will be no significant increase or decrease in the wind speed, though, in the coming days.” He attributed the drizzle to a western disturbance and a cyclonic circulation over Haryana.
While Delhi experienced shallow fog on Sunday morning, the IMD forecasts a further dip in the minimum temperature to 9°C by Monday and 8°C by Tuesday. Moderate to dense fog is anticipated over the next two days.
“A fresh western disturbance impacted Delhi on Sunday, bringing a drizzle in some parts. The increase in moisture may contribute to moderate to dense fog over the next 48 hours now,” Srivastava noted.
Although Sunday’s minimum temperature was a degree below normal and lower than Saturday’s 12.3°C, the maximum temperature rose to a degree above normal at 26.2°C. The IMD predicts the maximum temperature to hover around 24°C over the next three days.
The cooler weather might lead to an increase in instances of open burning to stay warm. Data from the Delhi government’s Real-Time Advanced Air Source Management Network revealed that the contribution of open burning to Delhi’s PM 2.5 was around 10% on Sunday, up from 6% on Saturday. Despite burning waste being prohibited, enforcement teams imposed 472 challans for open burning in the last month, according to official data from MCD.
