A prolonged dry spell for the national capital has rather become annoying, as the pollution levels have been skyrocketing for the last many days. It is no less than a medical emergency, to which only rains can possibly rescue. However, there is not even a mild hope for the first winter rains and therefore, the worst is still ahead. Following the withdrawal of monsoon, the month of October remained completely dry and the trend is unlikely to abate, even till the end of November.
The first half of November will possibly go on record as the warmest. The minimum temperatures remained in the mid and high teens, without dropping to under 15°C, even for a single day. The minimum temperature has risen by about a degree further, in the last three days. The base observatory at Safdarjung, today recorded a low of 16.2°C, about 4°C above the normal. A thick layer of fog and pollution, together has compounded the problem. The two together have descended gloomy conditions right at the start in the morning. The visibility was reduced to merely 100 meters over most parts, commencing at midnight and staying put till morning hours. The thick and deep envelope of pollution has blocked the escape of terrestrial radiations and restricted the drop in temperatures.
Following the passage of the western disturbance, the dry and cool winds has lowered the temperatures over parts of Punjab and Haryana, but restricted to the places having better AQI conditions. The minimum temperature dropped by about 3°C in the past 24 hours at Pathankot, Amritsar, Hisar and Sirsa and some other places. However, the cool winds could not penetrate the thick barrier of smog over and around Delhi/NCR. The AQI levels are hazardous across the city and suburbs, possibly the highest so far.
There is a likelihood of a weak Western Disturbance passing across the northern mountains between 23rd and 25th Nov 2024. However, its effect will remain limited to the higher reaches and unlikely to impact the plains, even in the least manner. Delhi will have to live with these conditions during the month of November. No rains are likely. The seasonal progression and mild influence of western disturbance may lead to a temporary drop in minimum temperatures to the low teens for a day or two, on the 20th & 21st Nov but rise again to hang around in mid-teens during the rest of this week.