COURTESY HT NOV 21

Lowest Nov minimum temp in Delhi since 2006: IMD data
The minimum temperature in Delhi dropped to 7.5°C on Friday morning, the lowest since Nov 29, 2006, when mercury had fallen to 7.3°C

The chill is here and the warm winter clothes are out. Biplov Bhuyan/HT PHOTO
HT Correspondent

htreporters@hindustantimes.com

New Delhi : The minimum temperature in Delhi dropped to 7.5 degrees Celsius on Friday morning, the lowest in November since 2006, according to data from the met department, as experts predicted an early winter for the national capital, while warning of cold-wave conditions for the next two days.

On November 29, 2006, the minimum temperature had dropped to 7.3°C, officials said.

Data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) shows that till November 16, the average minimum temperatures recorded in the city have been two to three degrees below the normal for the season.

Friday’s minimum temperature was five notches below normal for this time of the year.

In November 2019, the lowest temperature was 11.4°C and in the same month the previous year, this was 10.5°C.

According to IMD scientists, the minimum temperature does not usually drop below 10 degrees Celsius in November.

“It’s unusual for minimum temperatures to drop to single digits in mid-November. Winter is setting in early this year. The drop in night temperature is mainly due to a combination of cold winds blowing from the snow-clad western Himalayan region and largely clear skies in Delhi. When there is no cloud cover, the ground cools faster and minimum temperatures stay low,” said Kuldeep Srivastava, head of IMD’s regional weather forecasting centre.

The Regional Meteorological Centre has also warned that Delhi, along with Haryana and north Rajasthan could experience cold wave conditions for the next two days.

A cold wave is declared when minimum temperature is under 10 degrees Celsius and the departure from normal is 4.5 degrees Celsius for more than a day.

Delhi this year also saw the coldest October in 58 years with the mean minimum temperatures for the month settling at 17.2°C.

VK Soni of IMD’s environment monitoring research centre, said the minimum temperature is likely to remain around 7-8 degrees Celsius over the next two days. “On November 23, there will be a slight increase in the minimum temperature because of cloud cover in Delhi. Whenever there are clouds, there is a rise in minimum temperature,” he said.

Meanwhile, falling temperatures and continuing stubble fires have kept the air quality in the far-end of the ‘poor’ category, despite strong winds. The average wind speed on Thursday was 15-16kmph, favourable for the dispersion of pollutants.

As per the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) 4pm bulletin, the average air quality index (AQI) was 296, up from 283 on Thursday.

“The deterioration in air quality is mainly because the wind direction is north-westerly and since some stubble burning activity is still continuing, the smoke is travelling to Delhi and not allowing improvement. However, wind speeds are likely to remain high over the next two days and there may be a slight improvement in air quality,” Soni said.

As per the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (Safar), the Union earth science ministry’s air quality forecasting wing, the air quality may touch ‘very poor’ by Friday night, as the winds turn calm during the night. But, it is likely to improve marginally on November 21-22.

The share of stubble burning to levels of PM2.5 in the city on Friday reduced to 15% from 20% the previous day, the Safar bulletin stated.