Delhi Experiences Chilly October Night After 2 Years; Air Pollution Levels Drop Slightly

Delhi experienced its coolest October night in two years on Thursday, with the minimum temperature dropping to 17°C, slightly below the seasonal average of 17.2°C, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The city also saw a slight improvement in air quality, with the 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 275, placing it in the ‘poor’ category after four consecutive days in the ‘very poor’ range. The maximum temperature for the day was 32.3°C, marginally above the normal of 31.9°C. For Saturday, morning mist is expected, with temperatures hovering around 17°C to 31°C.

Among Delhi’s 38 monitoring stations, Anand Vihar recorded the highest AQI at 414. Ten stations reported ‘very poor’ air quality, 24 were in the ‘poor’ category, and three registered ‘moderate’ levels, according to the CPCB’s Sameer app. Neighboring NCR cities like Gurugram, Noida, and Ghaziabad also recorded ‘poor’ AQI levels in the 200s.

The Centre’s Air Quality Early Warning System forecasts that Delhi’s AQI may remain in the ‘very poor’ range until Saturday, with fluctuations between ‘poor’ and ‘very poor’ expected over the following week. Transport emissions contributed 17.8% of Delhi’s pollution on Thursday, while satellite data reported 28 stubble-burning incidents in Punjab and 13 in Uttar Pradesh.