Delhi Air Quality Worsens as Low Winds Keep Mercury Below Normal
Delhi’s air quality slipped into the “poor” zone on Tuesday even as cold northwesterly winds continued to prevail and temperatures remained below normal for this time of the year.

Delhi Air Quality Worsens Winds Keep Mercury Below: Delhi’s air quality slipped into the “poor” zone on Tuesday even as cold northwesterly winds continued to prevail and temperatures remained below normal for this time of the year.
The city recorded an air quality index (AQI) of 234 (“poor”) over the past 24 hours, down from 186 (“moderate”) a day ago, according to the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB’s) daily bulletin.
Forecast says winds will continue to be consistent over the next few days and temperature will dip and air quality will remain in “poor” category.
Also Read: Karnataka Declares Holiday to Mourn SM Krishna’s Death: Are Banks and Schools Closed
“Delhi’s air quality is likely to be in the ‘poor’ category from December 11 till December 13. The AQI in the subsequent six days should also be in ‘poor’,” said the Centre’s Early Warning System for Delhi on Tuesday.
Delhi’s minimum temperature was 8°C on Tuesday, two degrees below normal and down from 8.2°C a day ago.
Minimum is expected to dip further to 7°C by Wednesday and 6°C by Thursday, said the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
Maximum temperature was 23°C, two degrees below normal but up from seasons-low of 21.6°C recorded a day before.
“The maximum should remain below normal, hovering around 23°C, over the next three days,” an IMD official said.
“Even with sunshine, cold northwesterly winds are providing a wind chill factor, which is leading to a drop in both maximum and minimum temperatures. We can expect a further drop of 1-2°C over the next three days as winds remain consistent,” said Mahesh Palawat, vice president at Skymet.
Also Read: Kartik Aaryan Opens Up on Lack of Industry Support Despite Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 Success
Palawat said though wind speed was 17km/hr on Tuesday, wind speed dipped marginally on Monday evening and night-time which led to slight deterioration in air quality.
“It is unlikely to deteriorate further as winds of 10-15 km/hr are expected over the next three days,” he added.
Delhi recorded “moderate” AQI on December 4 (178), December 5 (165), December 6 (197) and December 9 (186).
Delhi has never recorded a “good” or “satisfactory” air day in December since 2015. So this is a good start to December.
In December, Delhi recorded an AQI by 140 of December 26, 2015. In addition, December 2022, 2019, and 2015 each had three "moderate" air days.
Also Read: YesMadam Employee Speaks Out After Layoff Claim: ‘I’m Spilling the Beans’
For breaking news and live news updates, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Read more on Latest National News on The National Bulletin