NEW DELHI: If you felt Sunday was an unusually warm for winter, you were right, as it was the warmest Jan day in six years.
The usual winter chill was missing due to the combination of bright sunshine and the influence of an active western disturbance over the Himalayas causing variable winds.
However, the air quality index (AQI) of Delhi deteriorated to very poor at 368 at 4 pm on Sunday. It was 255 in the poor range a day earlier.
As the AQI showed a declining trend later during the day, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) decided not to impose stringent actions under Stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan and to review the situation again on Monday.
The maximum temperature rose to 26.1 degrees Celsius, seven degrees above normal, on Sunday at Safdarjung, which is the city’s base station, compared to 20.7 degrees Celsius a day earlier.
The last time the city recorded a higher maximum temperature than this in Jan was on Jan 21, 2019, at 28.7 degrees Celsius, shows India Meteorological Department’s data.
As the sun rose brightly, it was a good day to go out, with many parks and outdoor spaces witnessing a huge turnout.
A Met official said clear skies and variable winds caused the maximum temperature to rise on Sunday. “Under the influence of a western disturbance, the plains receive rainfall while the Himalayan region receives snowfall. Consistent north-westerly winds bring cold air from snow-capped mountains to Delhi in winters, which cause the mercury to dip. However, when a western disturbance impacts the region, the wind direction changes in Delhi. Since there have been back-to-back western disturbances, consistent north-westerly winds are not blowing in the city,” the official said.
“The maximum temperature was above normal by 4 to 7 degrees Celsius over most places in Delhi on Sunday,” said another official. Even the minimum temperature remained higher than normal. The minimum temperature was recorded at 9.2 degrees Celsius, two degrees above normal.
Moderate fog was reported at Safdarjung with the lowest visibility of 200 metres at 7 am, which later improved. However, shallow fog was recorded at Palam as the lowest visibility was recorded at 600 metres.
Another western disturbance is expected to impact the region. The city may witness light rain or thunderstorms on Jan 22 and 23.
CAQM said Delhi’s average AQI has been consistently improving as from 368 at 4 pm, it improved to 362 at 6 pm and further improved to 360 at 8 pm.
“The average AQI of Delhi is exhibiting a downward trend, and with better wind speeds forecast for late night hours, there is a likelihood of the average AQI of Delhi to reduce further to around the threshold of 350 with time,” said CAQM.
