Will winter arrive early in the national capital? The city on Tuesday recorded a minimum temperature of 21 degrees Celsius, 2.3 notches below normal. This was the lowest minimum temperature recorded in the national capital in September since 2008, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The IMD data showed the lowest minimum temperature recorded in September since 2001 was 20.8 degrees Celsius on September 6, 2008, while the third-lowest was 21.1 degrees Celsius on September 19, 2024.
Temperatures were lower on September 29 and 30, 2000
Then the temperatures were lower on September 29 and 30, 2000, when the city recorded minimum temperatures of 20.6 and 20.7 degrees Celsius, respectively. However, these readings are not part of the "since 2001" comparison. Delhi’s prime weather station at Safdarjung recorded a minimum temperature of 21 degrees Celsius on Sunday as well.
Palam recorded minimum temperature of 19.7 degrees Celsius
Among other weather stations in Delhi, Palam recorded a minimum temperature of 19.7 degrees Celsius, 3.8 degrees below normal, while Lodi Road recorded 20.4 degrees Celsius, 1.6 degrees below normal. The Ridge recorded 16.9 degrees Celsius, 6 degrees below normal, while Ayanagar recorded 20.6 degrees Celsius, 2 degrees below normal.
The IMD in the forecast said the maximum temperature in Delhi is expected to settle around 32 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, with a partly cloudy sky. Moreover, the cumulative rainfall recorded at the weather stations up to 8.30 am was 1 mm at Palam, 0.2 mm at the Ridge and 0.7 mm at Ayanagar, while Safdarjung and Lodi Road recorded trace rainfall.
Apart from this, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi was 62 at 9 am, falling in the "satisfactory" category, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Under the CPCB classification, an AQI of 0-50 is considered "good", 51-100 "satisfactory", 101-200 "moderate", 201-300 "poor", 301-400 "very poor" and 401-500 "severe".
BS-VI will be prohibited from entering Delhi from November 1
Taking preventive measures ahead of the arrival of winter, the Delhi government has taken several measures and said the vehicles registered outside Delhi that are below BS-VI will be prohibited from entering the national capital from November 1, while electric vehicles will be exempt from additional parking charges. BS (I-VI) refers to emission standards of vehicles, with BS-VI vehicles being compliant with the most stringent standards.
Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said the government will publicise the restriction in advance. CNG vehicles will not fall under the separate BS-IV restriction, he said. The Delhi government did not specify when the restriction will end.
Parking charges at authorised parking sites will be doubled from November 1 to February 28 to discourage private vehicle use, while electric vehicles will be exempt from the additional parking charges. Parking spaces owned and managed by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation will be excluded from the hike.
With inputs from PTI
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