New Delhi: Delhi’s minimum temperature settled 4.5 notches above normal at 9 degrees Celsius on Friday, the Met office said.

On Thursday, the city recorded the lowest temperature of this winter season as the minimum temperature dipped to 4.5 degrees Celsius.

The Met office attributed the sudden change to variable wind directions.

“Rise in minimum temperatures is quite localised and attributed to variable wind conditions. Minimum temperatures have not shown any significant change over most parts of northwest India,” it said.

The rise in minimum temperature has been by more than 2 degrees Celsius only at isolated places in northwest India, including the Patiala, Karnal, Rohtak, Delhi, Sikar, Alwar and the Phalodi stations.

A rise of more than 3 degrees Celsius has been recorded only in the Sikar, Rohtak, Phalodi and the Safdarjung stations across the northwest Indian plains, the weather office said.

An India Meteorological Department said no coldwave conditions were recorded in the national capital.

The Met office has forecast mainly clear skies during the day, with the maximum temperature expected to settle at 23 degrees Celsius.

The national capital’s Air Quality Index (AQI) remained in the ‘poor’ category with a reading of 273 at 9 am.

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’.