New Delhi: The minimum temperature in Delhi settled at 7.9 degrees Celsius on Sunday, two notches below the season's average, the bulletin issued by India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
The national capital recorded a maximum temperature of 27.5 degrees Celsius, two notches above normal and the air quality was recorded in the 'very poor' category, as per IMD.
According to the data by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi stood at 328 (very poor category) on Sunday.
The relative humidity at 5.30 pm was 53 per cent, the IMD bulletin said.
Gurugram’s overall air quality also deteriorated further to the “very poor category” with an AQI of 319. The PM 2.5 concentration was recorded at 319 and the PM 10 concentration at 191, both under “very poor” and “moderate category”.
Notably, an AQI between zero and 50 is considered 'good', 51 and 100 'satisfactory', 101 and 200 'moderate', 201 and 300 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', and 401 and 500 'severe'.
The national capital recorded a minimum temperature of 8.3 degrees Celsius, three degrees below normal, on Saturday.
As per IMD, Friday's minimum temperature in Delhi was the lowest in the month since November 23, 2020, when the city recorded a low of 6.2 degrees Celsius.
The IMD has attributed the cold spell to strong north-westerly winds.
“In the first half of the month, the minimum temperature was largely around the normal mark and it went above the normal in the second week of the month due to a western disturbance. However, in the second half of the month, the impact of western disturbances has been minimal and therefore, cold north-westerly winds have been more prominent, leading to a drop in temperature at night,” HT quoted RK Jenamani, scientist at IMD, as saying.