Delhi recorded its coldest November in the past five years, with an average minimum temperature of 11.5°C recorded up to Saturday, according to the latest data released by the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
The colder-than-usual month was driven by consistently below-normal minimum temperatures throughout November.
On Saturday, the national capital logged a minimum temperature of 10.4°C, offering slight respite from the prevailing chill. The reading was 0.1°C above the normal for the date and 2.3°C higher than the minimum recorded the previous day. However, air quality continued to remain hazardous, staying in the lower range of the “very poor” category.
The city had witnessed its lowest temperature in three years on Wednesday, when the minimum dropped to 8°C—three degrees below normal and the coldest November night since 2022. For context, Delhi had recorded a minimum of 7.3°C on November 29, 2022. This year, however, the mercury has not yet dipped below the 8°C mark.
Historical monthly data shows that the last time Delhi experienced a cooler November was in 2020, when the average minimum temperature for the month stood at 10.3°C. That year, the city saw seven days with minimum temperatures below 8°C, with the mercury falling to 7.5°C as early as November 15 and touching the month’s lowest reading of 6.3°C on November 23, 2020.
In comparison, the average minimum temperatures for November in the subsequent years were notably higher: 11.9°C in 2021, 12.3°C in 2022, 13°C in 2023, and 14.7°C in 2024.
On Saturday, Delhi woke up to a sunny morning with largely clear skies. The day’s maximum temperature settled at 26.5°C, close to the seasonal normal. The average maximum temperature for November this year stood at 27.6°C—the same as recorded in both 2023 and 2020. Last year, the average daytime temperature had been comparatively warmer at 29.4°C.
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