Key Highlights

  • A 75-year low: On Friday, Delhi's maximum temperature fell to 20.7°C at Safdarjung. That is 10.3 degrees below normal and the lowest October maximum at the station since 1951.
  • Saturday's air: The city's AQI stood at 110 at 8 a.m., which is in the 'moderate' category. Jahangirpuri (188) and Punjabi Bagh (176) had the worst readings.
  • Unusually wet month: October rainfall at Safdarjung reached 123.3 mm against a normal of 15.1 mm, making it the wettest October in four years.
  • Cleanest October since 2015: According to CREA, the city's average AQI for the month was 167.
  • Friday's AQI was 60: That made it the cleanest October day since October 10, 2022.

Delhiites usually spend late October checking pollution apps and getting their air purifiers out. This year they were looking for shawls and windbreakers instead.

After two days of steady rain, the capital recorded its coldest October day in 75 years on Friday. The maximum temperature at Safdarjung, the city's base weather station, fell to 20.7°C. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), that was 10.3 degrees below normal, and the station has not recorded a lower October maximum since 1951.

Saturday morning was also chilly. Dark clouds stayed over the city, and shallow fog in the early morning and late evening made it feel more like December than the end of October. The IMD said relative humidity reached 100 per cent in both the morning and evening readings.

By 8.30 a.m. on Friday, Safdarjung had recorded 123.3 mm of rain in October, roughly eight times the monthly normal of 15.1 mm. That makes it Delhi's wettest October in four years, and Friday was also the sixth-wettest October day since 1951. Earlier in the week, Skymet had said an approaching western disturbance would bring clouds, thunderstorms and patchy rain to Delhi-NCR.

The rain also had a big effect on air quality. Delhi's AQI was 60 on Friday, the cleanest October day since October 10, 2022, when it was 44. An analysis by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) put the city's average AQI for October at 167, the lowest October average since 2015.

Clean Air, But Not Everywhere

The cleaner air was not spread evenly across the city. At 8 a.m. on Saturday, the overall AQI was 110. Ghoga (46) and Burari (65) had some of the best readings, followed by NIH Narela at 76, Burari Crossing at 89, Uttam Nagar at 92 and Vasundhara Enclave at 101.

Other stations were noticeably worse. Jahangirpuri recorded 188, Punjabi Bagh 176, Rohini 147, Mundka 143, Bawana 142 and Vivek Vihar 141. ITO and Chandni Chowk were at 128 each, Shadipur at 131, R.K. Puram at 118, Sirifort at 116 and Anand Vihar at 110.

This spread matters. When rain stops and winds slow down, the north and northwest areas that are already showing higher readings are usually the first to slip back into 'poor' air. Skymet had forecast partly cloudy, rain-free conditions for October 31, which could weaken the washout effect that kept pollution low this week.

November is usually the toughest month for Delhi's air, so the next few days will show whether this clean spell was a short break or a real change. Until then, residents can enjoy something unusual for this time of year: cold mornings and air that is mostly safe to breathe.

(With inputs from IANS)

 Key Highlights

  • A 75-year low: On Friday, Delhi's maximum temperature fell to 20.7°C at Safdarjung. That is 10.3 degrees below normal and the lowest October maximum at the station since 1951.
  • Saturday's air: The city's AQI stood at 110 at 8 a.m., which is in the 'moderate' category. Jahangirpuri (188) and Punjabi Bagh (176) had the worst readings.
  • Unusually wet month: October rainfall at Safdarjung reached 123.3 mm against a normal of 15.1 mm, making it the wettest October in four years.
  • Cleanest October since 2015: According to CREA, the city's average AQI for the month was 167.
  • Friday's AQI was 60: That made it the cleanest October day since October 10, 2022.

Delhiites usually spend late October checking pollution apps and getting their air purifiers out. This year they were looking for shawls and windbreakers instead.

After two days of steady rain, the capital recorded its coldest October day in 75 years on Friday. The maximum temperature at Safdarjung, the city's base weather station, fell to 20.7°C. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), that was 10.3 degrees below normal, and the station has not recorded a lower October maximum since 1951.

Saturday morning was also chilly. Dark clouds stayed over the city, and shallow fog in the early morning and late evening made it feel more like December than the end of October. The IMD said relative humidity reached 100 per cent in both the morning and evening readings.

By 8.30 a.m. on Friday, Safdarjung had recorded 123.3 mm of rain in October, roughly eight times the monthly normal of 15.1 mm. That makes it Delhi's wettest October in four years, and Friday was also the sixth-wettest October day since 1951. Earlier in the week, Skymet had said an approaching western disturbance would bring clouds, thunderstorms and patchy rain to Delhi-NCR.

The rain also had a big effect on air quality. Delhi's AQI was 60 on Friday, the cleanest October day since October 10, 2022, when it was 44. An analysis by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) put the city's average AQI for October at 167, the lowest October average since 2015.

Clean Air, But Not Everywhere

The cleaner air was not spread evenly across the city. At 8 a.m. on Saturday, the overall AQI was 110. Ghoga (46) and Burari (65) had some of the best readings, followed by NIH Narela at 76, Burari Crossing at 89, Uttam Nagar at 92 and Vasundhara Enclave at 101.

Other stations were noticeably worse. Jahangirpuri recorded 188, Punjabi Bagh 176, Rohini 147, Mundka 143, Bawana 142 and Vivek Vihar 141. ITO and Chandni Chowk were at 128 each, Shadipur at 131, R.K. Puram at 118, Sirifort at 116 and Anand Vihar at 110.

This spread matters. When rain stops and winds slow down, the north and northwest areas that are already showing higher readings are usually the first to slip back into 'poor' air. Skymet had forecast partly cloudy, rain-free conditions for October 31, which could weaken the washout effect that kept pollution low this week.

November is usually the toughest month for Delhi's air, so the next few days will show whether this clean spell was a short break or a real change. Until then, residents can enjoy something unusual for this time of year: cold mornings and air that is mostly safe to breathe.

(With inputs from IANS)