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New Delhi: The national capital should brace itself for a colder winter compared to the previous years, as New Delhi recorded the lowest minimum temperature on Monday in the post-monsoon season, Kuldeep Srivastava, head of India Meteorological Department’s regional weather forecasting centre, said.
“Delhi recorded the lowest minimum temperature of 10.8 degrees Celsius today, in the post-monsoon season that prevails between October 1 and December 31. The tendency of the fall in the minimum temperature experienced in October will continue in November,” Srivastava told ANI.
In the coming seven to eight days, the minimum temperature will vary between 10 and 11 degrees Celsius.
“Most crucial reasons behind the dip in the temperature are the absence of cloud cover with very slow wind movement,” Srivastava said. “It can be stated that compared to the previous years, this year can be colder.”
Srivastava added wind speed would vary between 10 and 12 kmph in the next two to three days, which will be dispersed at a slower pace, however, there won’t be any significant improvement in the minimum temperature.
Pointing out that PM 2.5 level pollutants were more in the air recently as compared to PM 10, he said that primarily three factors are responsible for the cause — industrial and vehicular pollution, and definitely stubble burning.
“If the wind comes from the same direction it would carry pollutants,” Srivastava added.
A central government air quality-monitoring agency noted on Sunday that the share of stubble burning in Delhi’s pollution increased to 40 per cent, which is the maximum so far this season.
As per System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research, Delhi’s pollution had peaked at 44 per cent on November 1 in 2019, primarily due to stubble burning.