Environment
Delhi minimum falls to 16.2°C as AQI hits 178
Hindustan Times·
Delhi's minimum temperature fell to 16.2°C on Monday morning, the lowest so far this season, IMD data showed. The city's AQI was 178 at 10 am in the upper moderate band, CPCB figures showed. Sunday's 24-hour average AQI was 153 at 4 pm. Twenty-two of 56 stations logged poor air. Warning said poor air is likely from 26.10.2026 to 28.10.2026.
Prism
What It Means For You
- Morning readings already show more than a third of stations in the poor band even if the city index is moderate.
- Forecast guidance keeps Delhi in poor air through 28.10.2026 before a poor-to-moderate outlook for six days.
- CPCB bands treat 101-200 as moderate and 201-300 as poor for daily planning.
What's Happening
- October air has mostly stayed moderate, with poor days on October 21, 22 and 23.
- The seven days to October 25 averaged AQI 194, the second-lowest such week average in 12 years in an HT CPCB analysis.
- The October 25 bulletin AQI of 153 was lower than Delhi's AQI on 62 percent of days in the past 3 years.
How CPCB Labels The Index
- CPCB classifies 0-50 as good and 51-100 as satisfactory before the moderate band begins.
- Very poor covers 301-400 and severe covers 401-500 on the same scale.
- Localised build-up is visible even when the citywide index has not yet crossed 200.
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