Delhi-NCR feels early chill as air quality heads towards poor category

• Delhi-NCR is seeing cooler mornings and evenings, with dry weather and mainly clear skies forecast for the coming week.

• Delhi’s AQI stood at 187 on Sunday and is expected to enter the poor category on Monday as stagnant winds allow pollutants to accumulate.

• Southern states are likely to receive further rain, with isolated heavy showers forecast in several areas through 23 October.

Cooler mornings and evenings are signalling a seasonal shift across Delhi-NCR, even as the capital’s air quality is forecast to deteriorate to the poor category on Monday.

Following the monsoon’s withdrawal from North India, Delhi is expected to see mainly clear skies and dry conditions over the coming week. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast minimum temperatures of 18–20 degrees Celsius and daytime highs of 31–35 degrees Celsius.

At Safdarjung, the city’s principal weather station, the maximum temperature reached 31.7 degrees Celsius on Sunday, slightly below the seasonal average. The minimum was 18.6 degrees Celsius. Monday’s minimum is expected to remain around 18–19 degrees Celsius.

Despite the growing morning and evening chill, an immediate onset of intense winter conditions is unlikely. The transition is expected to be gradual, with afternoons remaining relatively warm.

Predominantly clear weather is forecast across northern India between 18 and 24 October. Parts of Delhi-NCR, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Bihar and Rajasthan could still record temperatures up to two degrees above normal.

The dry spell, however, could worsen pollution in the capital. Limited air movement may allow emissions from traffic, construction and other sources to build up, with no rain expected to help clear pollutants.

Delhi recorded an overall air quality index of 187 on Sunday, within the moderate category. However, 22 monitoring locations reported poor air quality, showing that several neighbourhoods were already experiencing higher pollution levels.

The city’s overall AQI is expected to move into the poor category on Monday, potentially marking its first such reading this season.

Further south, the IMD has forecast a prolonged spell of rain across parts of peninsular India, with heavy showers likely in several areas through 23 October.

Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala, Karnataka and Lakshadweep are expected to receive rain over the coming days. Isolated heavy showers are forecast in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry during the week, with similar conditions likely in Kerala, Mahe and south interior Karnataka through 23 October.

The forecasts point to contrasting conditions across the country: a largely dry seasonal transition in the north and continued rainfall across parts of the south.

Uncertainty also remains over the possible influence of Pacific Ocean temperature changes on the coming winter. The extent of any El Niño-related impact on temperatures and rainfall across India is yet to become clear.

With IANS inputs