Delhi witnessed its coldest day of the month on Thursday, with the minimum temperature dropping to 8.8 degrees Celsius, five notches below the seasonal average. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasted a partly cloudy sky for the city throughout the day, with the maximum temperature projected to reach around 25 degrees Celsius.
As per the India Meteorological Department (IMD) bulletin, the relative humidity at 8:30 am stood at 75 per cent. Over the last 12 years, Delhi has experienced minimum temperatures ranging between 10 and 18 degrees in the first week of March, the IMD said.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) at 9 am stood at 179 in the national capital. An AQI between zero and 50 is considered 'good', 51 and 100 'satisfactory', 101 and 200 'moderate', 201 and 300 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', and 401 and 500 'severe'.
India saw extreme weather situation in 2023
It should be noted here that India recorded extreme weather events on 318 of the 365 days in the year 2023, with all states and Union territories experiencing such events on at least one day, according to a report released last month.
These extreme weather events resulted in 3,287 human deaths, 1.24 lakh animal deaths, and damage to 2.21 million hectares of crop area, a report by independent think tank the Centre for Science and Environment's "State of Environment 2024" said.
Himachal Pradesh recorded the highest number of days with extreme weather at 149, followed by Madhya Pradesh with 141, and Kerala and Uttar Pradesh with 119 each. Eight states recorded more than 100 days of extreme weather, the report said. Heavy rains, floods and landslides were recorded on 208 days in 2023. India experienced extreme weather events for 123 consecutive days between June and September 2023, the report added.
(With PTI inputs)
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