Delhi shivers as mercury dips to 10.4 degrees Celsius

Delhi recorded its coldest morning of the season on Monday, with the minimum temperature plunging to 10.4°C, nearly 3.9°C below the season’s normal, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

This is the first time this season that the mercury has dipped to around 10°C, signalling an early onset of winter in the national capital.

While the chill in the air intensified, the city’s air quality continued to remain hazardous, with the average air quality index (AQI) touching 344 in the “very poor” category on Monday morning.

Meteorologists said this year had seen an unusually sharp and early decline in night temperatures. The IMD data for the first 10 days of November shows that the minimum temperature has dropped by around 9°C in just 10 days, from 19.4°C on November 1 to 10.4°C on November 10. The minimums were recorded at 12.7°C on November 6 and 11°C on November 8, marking one of the steepest early-November temperature drops in recent years.

Visibility also remained low during the morning hours, with Palam and Safdarjung stations reporting 1,000 metres early on Monday. By evening, visibility improved slightly to 2,100 metres at Palam and 1,500 metres at Safdarjung, the IMD said.

According to forecast for the coming week, the city is expected to see minimum temperatures between 10°C and 11°C and maximums around 27–28°C. The IMD has predicted shallow fog on Tuesday morning, with temperatures likely to settle around 11°C minimum and 27°C maximum.