The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday said Delhi has recorded the season’s coldest morning on Monday with the minimum temperature settling three notches below normal at 6.5 degrees Celsius. The minimum temperature recorded at the observatory at Lodhi Road was 6.3 degrees Celsius, two notches below normal, it said. The national Capital has been seeing below-than-normal temperatures for the last couple of days.   The air quality was recorded in the ‘very poor’ category.

The maximum temperature was recorded at 24.8 degrees Celsius, normal for this time of the year. The national capital has been witnessing below-normal temperatures during the last couple of days. On Saturday, the city recorded a low of 8.5 degrees Celsius. On Sunday, the minimum temperature was recorded at 8.3 degrees Celsius.

The forecast for the period between December 12 and 17 indicates that the minimum temperature will oscillate between 6 and 8 degrees Celsius.

At 4 pm, Delhi’s 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 317. Meanwhile the Commission of Air Quality Management (CAQM) claimed that Delhi has registered its lowest daily average AQI in 2023 for the first 10 days of December as compared to the corresponding period in last 5 years.

“Delhi’s average AQI clocked 398 on Monday as per the 4PM AQI Bulletin by CPCB. The GRAP Sub-Committee met and took stock of the current air quality scenario and forecast of meteorological conditions as well as the projected air quality index by IMD/IITM,” said a Met department official. Delhi has not reported a single day of ‘Severe’ air quality during this period of 2023 as compared to the corresponding period in last 5 years. For the first 10-days period of December, Delhi registers its lowest daily average AQI in 2023 as compared to the corresponding period in last 5 years.

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’, 401 and 450 ‘severe’ and above 450 ‘severe-plus’.  On Monday, the humidity levels oscillated between 40 per cent and 100 per cent.

The weather office has forecast clear skies for Tuesday with shallow fog in the morning.The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to settle around 24 and 6 degrees Celsius, respectively.  The air quality is likely to remain ‘very poor’ till Thursday.