Delhi Weather Today: Capital City Engulfed Under Thick Smog; AQI Worsens

New Delhi: The capital city of India has been bracing for a significant surge in air pollution, primarily attributed to the practice of stubble burning in neighbouring states in days to come. On Sunday, stubble burning contributed to 1.7% of the total PM2.5 pollution. However, by Monday, October 21, the contribution is expected to climb by over 1%, accounting for 2.8% of the overall pollution.

Delhi Temperature Today

The minimum temperature in Delhi today is likely to hover around 26 degrees Celsius, while the maximum temperature might reach 35 degrees Celsius. The mercury level is expected to hover around 26 degrees Celsius throughout the day, with the wind speed around 3.73. The wind will move around 28 degrees with a gust speed of 5.43.

The sunrise time is 06:26 AM, while it will set at 05:45 PM on Monday. As per the seven-day weather prediction, the temperature in Delhi is likely to reach 35 degrees Celsius on Monday, 35 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, 35 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, 36 degrees Celsius on Thursday, 35 degrees Celsius on Friday, 35 degrees Celsius on Saturday and 34 degrees Celsius on Sunday.

Delhi AQI On Sunday

This worsening air quality has serious implications for Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI), which is predicted to plummet into the "Very Poor" category on Monday and remain there for the subsequent days. Such a severe air quality estimation underscores the pressing issue of stubble burning in agrarian states like Punjab and Haryana, which release copious amounts of smoke and particulates into the atmosphere every autumn.

An AQI between zero and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 to 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 to 200 ‘moderate’, 201 to 300 ‘poor’, 301 to 400 ‘very poor’, and 401 to 500 ‘severe’.

Wind Directions

Interestingly, while the wind has predominantly been flowing from the east — a pattern that historically contributes to lessened pollution from stubble burning — the overall air quality has nonetheless deteriorated. This indicates that changes in wind direction, specifically the shift to northwestern winds, could exacerbate the pollution levels even further by channelling more smoke from agricultural fires into Delhi.

Tomorrow's Weather Prediction

The situation worsens significantly on Tuesday, when stubble burning is anticipated to contribute nearly 7% to the PM2.5 concentration in the city's air.