.jpg)
Delhi Coldest October Day in 75 Years, AQI Stays Moderate
Delhi’s maximum fell to 20.7°C, its lowest October high since 1951. With AQI at 110 on Saturday, the city just logged its cleanest October since 2015.
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.
