Overview
- The Safdarjung observatory registered a minimum of 21°C on Sunday, the second‑lowest September night since 2001 according to the India Meteorological Department.
- By Monday the cool spell had eased with Safdarjung’s minimum rising to about 23°C and rainfall tapering after light showers of roughly 4.9–5 mm earlier in the 24‑hour period.
- The IMD and independent meteorologists attribute the dip in temperatures to a long‑lived deep depression over the Bay of Bengal reinforced by a western disturbance and an upper‑air cyclonic circulation that kept skies cloudy and reduced daytime heating.
- Light rains briefly improved air quality in Delhi to the ‘satisfactory’ range with a 24‑hour AQI around the low‑50s, and Safdarjung’s June‑to‑Sept rainfall of 728.6 mm is about 16% above the long‑term normal.
- The IMD says the cool conditions are temporary and forecasts drying and warming into early October with daytime highs climbing into the low‑to‑mid 30s even as isolated heavy‑rain warnings remain in force for Uttarakhand, parts of the northeast, South Interior Karnataka and the Andaman and Nicobar or nearby maritime areas.