Published on: Dec 21, 2025 07:36 am IST
Chandigarh’s Air Quality Index crosses 300 for first time since Diwali; day temperature plunges to season’s lowest at 18.3°C
AI Fleet Read
Chandigarh faced a worsening spell of air air pollution and cool weather take a seat back on Saturday, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) hovering to 302 — the perfect since Diwali on October 21 — even as dense fog persisted for the fourth consecutive day.
The foggy conditions moreover dragged the day temperature down to 18.3°C, 2.3 degrees under frequent and the coldest recorded up to now this season. While contemporary conditions are expected to persist over the weekend, the fog spell is at possibility of intensify additional from December 24 onwards, potentially ensuing in chillier conditions.
As per the each day bulletin released by the Central Air pollution Lend a hand watch over Board (CPCB), Chandigarh’s AQI climbed sharply from 254 to 302 over the past 24 hours, coming into the “very unhappy” category for the first time since Diwali, two months ago.
The AQI of Panchkula moreover rose steeply, from 145 to 361, placing it within the “very unhappy” bracket as neatly. An AQI between 301 and 400 is considered very unhappy and could perhaps reason respiratory illness on prolonged publicity.
Out of the 242 cities incorporated within the CPCB knowledge, Panchkula ranked because the sixth most polluted, whereas Chandigarh stood 16th. Put-wise, the True Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Put (CAAQMS) in Sector 25 recorded the perfect air pollution phases.
At 8 pm on Saturday, the AQI here stood at 313, whereas it became 292 each on the CAAQMS stations in Sector 22 and Sector Fifty three, which topple within the “unhappy” category.
Foggy weather results in temperature inversion, causing air pollution to live trapped terminate to the bottom and AQI phases to upward thrust a good deal.
In accordance with the India Meteorological Department (IMD), visibility became as low as 200 metres at 5.30 am and 8.30 am, which is classed as “dense fog”.
Even later within the day, visibility didn’t give a boost to past 1,500 metres, labeled as haze.
On myth of the power fog veil, the most temperature fell from 19°C on Friday to 18.3°C on Saturday. Chandigarh became chillier than Dharamshala, which recorded 19°C, and Solan at 24.5°C, although Shimla became chillier at 17°C and Manali at 15.6°C.
IMD Chandigarh director Surender Paul acknowledged the fog spell would continue as a Western Disturbance became currently affecting parts of Jammu and Kashmir. He added that whereas fog veil became at possibility of decrease a minute bit for a day or two, it became expected to intensify yet again from December 24 onwards ensuing from moisture-encumbered winds introduced by a original Western Disturbance.
The foggy conditions, on the opposite hand, ended in a upward thrust in minimum temperature from 7.9°C on Friday to 11.3°C on Saturday, which became 3.6 degrees above frequent. IMD officers explained that fog at night prevents the earth’s heat from dissipating, ensuing in above-frequent night temperatures.
If dense fog persists throughout the day, a additional topple in most temperature can also lead to “cold day” conditions within the town.
Frosty day conditions are declared by the IMD in this dwelling when the minimum temperature drops under 10°C and the most temperature stays 4.5 to 6.4 degrees under frequent.
Final three hundred and sixty five days, rain spells within the 2d half of December had precipitated cold day conditions round this time. This three hundred and sixty five days, on the opposite hand, the town has not recorded any rainfall in December up to now.
