Delhi-NCR weather is expected to turn cooler on Tuesday, October 6, with clouds, gusty winds, thunderstorms and light rain possible in some areas, even as Delhi’s average air quality remained at 184 on Monday and 16 monitoring stations recorded pollution in the poor category.
The India Meteorological Department has forecast partly cloudy conditions across Delhi and the National Capital Region, with thunderstorms, strong winds and light drizzle possible after the afternoon. The change is linked to the influence of a western disturbance affecting Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand, with its effects also expected to reach Delhi-NCR.
The IMD has forecast a maximum temperature of 34-36 degrees Celsius and a minimum temperature of 22-24 degrees Celsius in Delhi on Tuesday. The weather change could bring some relief from the prevailing heat and humidity, although the forecast is for light rain rather than a major spell.
Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 36.6 degrees Celsius at the Safdarjung observatory on Monday, 2.4 degrees above normal. The minimum temperature was 23.8 degrees Celsius, or 1.5 degrees above normal. Relative humidity ranged from 43% to 90%, contributing to uncomfortable conditions in the city.
Pollution levels have also risen since the start of October as wind speeds fell and temperatures declined, allowing pollutants to remain concentrated near the ground. Of Delhi’s 44 air-quality monitoring stations, 16 reported air in the poor category on Monday. The city’s average 4 pm AQI was 184, compared with 186 on Sunday. Under the national AQI classification, an average score of 184 falls within the moderate range, although the station-level poor readings indicate more severe conditions in several localities.
The Air Quality Early Warning System has forecast that Delhi’s air quality will remain in the moderate category from October 6 to October 8. The report also recorded 36 farm-fire incidents on October 5, including 24 in Madhya Pradesh, five in Punjab, four in Uttar Pradesh and three in Rajasthan.
The weather department expects temperatures to ease further over the following days. Between October 6 and October 11, maximum temperatures in Delhi are forecast to remain between 31 and 33 degrees Celsius, while minimum temperatures are expected to stay between 21 and 23 degrees Celsius. The immediate outlook will therefore depend on how much rain occurs and whether wind speeds improve enough to disperse pollutants across the wider region.
