Chandigarh logs coldest November night in 2 years as mercury slides to 9.2°C
This was also the lowest that the minimum temperature has gone in the month of November in two years, as per India Meteorological Department (IMD) data
The city’s night temperature dropped to single digit for the first time this season, falling from 10.7°C on Tuesday to 9.2°C on Wednesday, 1.7 degrees below normal.
This was also the lowest that the minimum temperature has gone in the month of November in two years, as per India Meteorological Department (IMD) data.
A lower night temperature, at 9.1°C, was last only recorded on November 24, 2022.
Speaking about the fall, IMD Chandigarh director Surender Paul said the minimum temperature had been on the higher side earlier this month, but now it was starting to decline: “With colder Northwesterly winds blowing in the city, we can expect further drop in the minimum temperature in the coming days. It is on the expected lines with December around the corner.”
At 26.7°C, the maximum temperature, meanwhile, remained unchanged between Tuesday and Wednesday, staying 1.4 degree above normal.
Paul explained that as winter sets in, the drop in temperatures will first be at night while sunny weather prevails in the day, as no rain was likely in the coming days.
Over the next three days, the maximum temperature will remain between 25°C and 26°C, while the minimum temperature will stay in the 9-10°C ballpark.
Winds help AQI improve
On the brighter side, with cold winds blowing through the region, the city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) is starting to show improvement.
As per the daily bulletin released by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), AQI fell from 233 on Tuesday to 167 on Wednesday, lowest since the start of the month, when bursting of firecrackers on Diwali night, combined with stubble burning in neighbouring Punjab and Haryana, had caused pollution levels to soar.
An AQI between 101-200 is considered as moderate. It can also cause breathing discomfort to people with lung and heart diseases.
The AQI had dropped to 175 on November 22, but had again slipped to the poor category (between 201-300). Before this, it had continued to remain in the poor and very poor brackets through November, even climbing to severe levels, placing Chandigarh among the most-polluted cities of the country on multiple occasions.
