Delhi experienced a significant dip in temperature on Wednesday, registering a minimum of 8°C, which is three degrees below the seasonal normal. This marks the city’s lowest minimum temperature for November since 2022, when the temperature reached 7.3°C. The minimum temperature was 9°C on Tuesday, following 9.3°C on Monday.
Despite the cooler weather, the city’s air quality remained mired in the “very poor” category, continuing a prolonged period of severe pollution.
The Ongoing Air Quality Crisis
The Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 333 (“very poor”) at 9:00 AM on Wednesday. While this shows a slight improvement from the 353 recorded on Tuesday evening and the 382 logged on Monday, this marginal relief is attributed to slightly higher wind speeds during the day.
Wednesday marks the 21st straight day that Delhi’s AQI has registered 300 or higher.
- Consecutive Streaks: This streak ties previous 21-day periods (November 2 to 22, 2022, and January 11 to 31, 2024).
- Longest Streak: The longest consecutive streak on record occurred last year, lasting 32 straight days (October 30 to November 30, 2024) and peaking at an AQI of 494 (“severe”) on November 18.
Meteorological Outlook and Relief Hopes
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicts that cold northwesterly winds will persist on Thursday, keeping the minimum temperature around 8°C.
However, the meteorological conditions are unlikely to change significantly in the coming days, meaning a reprieve from the “very poor” AQI is not expected until at least November 28.
The Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi stated in its daily bulletin: “Delhi’s air quality is likely to be in the ‘very poor’ category from November 26 to 28. The outlook for the subsequent six days shows the air quality is likely to be between the ‘severe’ to ‘very poor’ categories.”
If the current trend continues, Delhi is on course to record its second-longest streak of 300+ AQI days.