Hanumāngarh — Seasonal Pollution Patterns
Month-by-month air quality patterns for Hanumāngarh across 2 years of CPCB data. Based on CPCB station data, 2016–present.
Rajasthan · Live Hanumāngarh AQI →
At a glance
Based on 2 years of CPCB monitoring across 1 stations, Hanumāngarh averages AQI 184 annually, with a pronounced seasonal pattern classified as monsoon-cleansed. The worst month is January at AQI 312 (Very Poor) and the cleanest is August at AQI 89 (Satisfactory) — a 223-point swing between them. Severe days (AQI > 400) make up 2.8% of the record while Good-or-Satisfactory days account for 20.0%.
The four seasons
Indian meteorological seasons: Winter (Dec–Feb), Summer (Mar–May), Monsoon (Jun–Sep), Post-monsoon (Oct–Nov).
Winter
AQI 266Summer
AQI 164Monsoon
AQI 118Post-monsoon
AQI 248Climograph — monthly averages and Poor+ days
Bars show the long-run AQI average per month. The overlay line counts days in Poor, Very Poor or Severe bands.
Year × month heatmap
One cell per year-month combination.
Each cell = monthly average AQI for that year-month combination. Row averages on the right, column averages at the bottom.
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | — | — | 151 | 139 | 177 | 146 | 140 | 119 | 118 | 213 | 367 | 340 | 192 |
| 2024 | 312 | 227 | 181 | 160 | 175 | 188 | 89 | 55 | 105 | 166 | 244 | 177 | 178 |
| Avg | 312 | 227 | 168 | 149 | 176 | 161 | 123 | 89 | 112 | 190 | 307 | 259 | — |
Winter in Hanumāngarh
Winter (Dec–Jan–Feb) in Hanumāngarh averages AQI 266 across 116 measured days — Poor on the NAQI scale. 41.4% of those days fall in Very Poor or Severe; 5.2% are Good or Satisfactory. Year-on-year, winter improved by 29.2% in the most recent comparison. Winter is the defining season for Hanumāngarh's air quality. Shallow temperature inversions trap local vehicle, industrial and biomass emissions near ground level, while regional transport brings in additional smoke from post-monsoon biomass burning across Punjab and Haryana and dust from drier upwind regions. Cool, stagnant mornings compound the problem; visibility falls, respiratory complaints spike, and short-term pollution peaks of AQI 400+ are routine. Sensitive groups — children, elderly, asthma and cardiac patients — should treat the full Dec–Jan–Feb window as a mandatory mask-and-purifier period.
Diwali, stubble burning and the monsoon
Three India-specific signatures that shape the seasonal curve.
Diwali week impact
The 7-day window around Diwali averages AQI 269 (Poor), versus 189 (Moderate) for the rest of October. 13 sampled days across the CPCB record.
Stubble-burning window (Oct 15 – Nov 15)
In-window severe-day share 8.1% vs 2.2% outside the window. The difference is a direct signal of upwind crop-residue transport.
Monsoon cleansing (Jul 15 – Sep 15)
Core monsoon window averages AQI 99 (Satisfactory), compared with an annual mean of 184.
Summer
Summer (Mar–Apr–May) in Hanumāngarh averages AQI 164 across 168 measured days — Moderate on the NAQI scale. 0.6% of those days fall in Very Poor or Severe; 7.7% are Good or Satisfactory. Year-on-year, summer worsened by 11.6% in the most recent comparison. Summer air in Hanumāngarh is shaped by a very different mix of forces. Rising temperatures drive deeper vertical mixing which dilutes local emissions, but pre-monsoon dust storms, wildfires and heat-accelerated ozone formation can all push AQI higher on individual days. Hanumāngarh's summer mean of 164 sits in the Moderate-to-Poor range, indicating that dust and gaseous precursors dominate the seasonal profile rather than the winter particulate peak common to north Indian cities.
Monsoon
Monsoon (Jun–Jul–Aug–Sep) in Hanumāngarh averages AQI 118 across 206 measured days — Moderate on the NAQI scale. 3.4% of those days fall in Very Poor or Severe; 47.6% are Good or Satisfactory. Year-on-year, monsoon improved by 22.7% in the most recent comparison. The Jul 15 – Sep 15 core monsoon window averages AQI 99, a 46.2% improvement on the annual mean of 184. Rain scrubs particulates out by wet deposition, and the deeper monsoon boundary layer disperses what remains vertically. Short-lived rebounds can happen between spells of rain, but the overall pattern is strongly favourable for outdoor activity. Even in monsoon, Hanumāngarh's baseline sits in the Moderate band, pointing to persistent year-round sources that rain alone cannot rinse away.
Post-monsoon
Post-monsoon (Oct–Nov) in Hanumāngarh averages AQI 248 across 119 measured days — Poor on the NAQI scale. 31.9% of those days fall in Very Poor or Severe; 4.2% are Good or Satisfactory. Year-on-year, post-monsoon improved by 29.1% in the most recent comparison. Diwali and the three days either side of it average AQI 269 — 1.42× the normal October baseline of AQI 189 for Hanumāngarh, a spike of 80 points. The Oct 15 – Nov 15 stubble-burning window averages AQI 268, with 8.1% of days landing in the Severe band versus only 2.2% outside that window. Post-monsoon in Hanumāngarh is the handoff from clean monsoon air to the winter peak, and the transition is rarely gentle.
Month-by-month trajectories
How each month has moved across the 2-year CPCB record.
First year vs latest year
Annual and per-season comparison.
Across the 2-year CPCB record Hanumāngarh is improving overall — AQI moved from 191 in 2023 to 178 in 2024, a -6.8% change. No month shows a material worsening of 10% or more. No month shows a material improvement of 10% or more. Because Hanumāngarh's seasonal shape is monsoon-cleansed, policy action that targets the January peak buys disproportionate relief — most city-wide annual averages are dragged upwards by the worst two or three months.
Daily calendar heatmap
Every measured day for the last 2 years. Expand for the full 2-year archive.
Month-by-month deep dive
Tap any month to expand.
Jan2024–2024Latest AQI 312+0%
Jan in Hanumāngarh averages AQI 312 (Very Poor) in the most recent year, having moved from 312 in 2024. Direction: stable (+0.0%).
Feb2024–2024Latest AQI 227+0%
Feb in Hanumāngarh averages AQI 227 (Poor) in the most recent year, having moved from 227 in 2024. Direction: stable (+0.0%).
Mar2023–2024Latest AQI 181+20%
Mar in Hanumāngarh averages AQI 181 (Moderate) in the most recent year, having moved from 151 in 2023. Direction: worsening (+19.9%).
Apr2023–2024Latest AQI 160+15%
Apr in Hanumāngarh averages AQI 160 (Moderate) in the most recent year, having moved from 139 in 2023. Direction: worsening (+15.1%).
May2023–2024Latest AQI 175-1%
May in Hanumāngarh averages AQI 175 (Moderate) in the most recent year, having moved from 177 in 2023. Direction: stable (-1.1%).
Jun2023–2024Latest AQI 188+29%
Jun in Hanumāngarh averages AQI 188 (Moderate) in the most recent year, having moved from 146 in 2023. Direction: worsening (+28.8%).
Jul2023–2024Latest AQI 89-36%
Jul in Hanumāngarh averages AQI 89 (Satisfactory) in the most recent year, having moved from 140 in 2023. Direction: improving (-36.4%).
Aug2023–2024Latest AQI 55-54%
Aug in Hanumāngarh averages AQI 55 (Satisfactory) in the most recent year, having moved from 119 in 2023. Direction: improving (-53.8%).
Sep2023–2024Latest AQI 105-11%
Sep in Hanumāngarh averages AQI 105 (Moderate) in the most recent year, having moved from 118 in 2023. Direction: improving (-11.0%).
Oct2023–2024Latest AQI 166-22%
Oct in Hanumāngarh averages AQI 166 (Moderate) in the most recent year, having moved from 213 in 2023. Direction: improving (-22.1%).
Nov2023–2024Latest AQI 244-34%
Nov in Hanumāngarh averages AQI 244 (Poor) in the most recent year, having moved from 367 in 2023. Direction: improving (-33.5%).
Dec2023–2024Latest AQI 177-48%
Dec in Hanumāngarh averages AQI 177 (Moderate) in the most recent year, having moved from 340 in 2023. Direction: improving (-47.9%).
Cities with similar (and opposite) seasonal profiles
Ranked by cosine similarity of 12-month AQI signatures across monitored Indian cities.
Similar seasonal profile
Cities whose 12-month AQI signature most closely matches Hanumāngarh.
Opposite seasonal profile
Cities whose seasonal signature least resembles Hanumāngarh.
What to do with this information
If you are choosing when to visit Hanumāngarh or plan outdoor events — marathons, weddings, school sports, outdoor festivals — the CPCB record says August and the two adjacent months are the lowest-risk window. Daily variability still matters; check the live AQI page before committing on any specific date. Sensitive groups should treat January in Hanumāngarh as an indoor-air-priority month: close windows on high-AQI evenings, run a purifier with a HEPA filter rated for your room size, and reserve outdoor exercise for clear-weather mornings. On days above AQI 300, even healthy adults benefit from well-fitted N95 or KN95 masks for outdoor commutes.
Frequently asked questions
Which is the most polluted month in Hanumāngarh?
January is the most polluted month in Hanumāngarh on average, with a long-run AQI of 312 — firmly in the Very Poor band. This is drawn from 1 CPCB monitoring stations across 2 years of daily readings. Through January, residents should expect elevated PM2.5 and PM10, reduced visibility on cooler mornings, and strong recommendations from doctors to limit outdoor exertion, wear well-fitted N95 masks, and run indoor purifiers through evening and overnight hours when pollutant accumulation typically peaks.
What is the cleanest month to visit Hanumāngarh?
August is the cleanest month of the year in Hanumāngarh, averaging AQI 89 in the Satisfactory band. The months immediately before and after also tend to sit well below the annual mean of 184, so a visit window centred on August is the safest choice for outdoor sightseeing, marathons, school trips and wedding events. Mornings are usually the crispest time to head out; pollution tends to creep up slightly during the evening commute even in the cleanest months. Always cross-check the day-of live AQI before any high-exertion outdoor plan.
Why does Hanumāngarh's air spike in January?
Hanumāngarh shows a clear monsoon-cleansed signature — rain and deeper atmospheric mixing drop AQI to a seasonal trough, and everything else relative to that trough looks elevated. The specific January spike combines pre-monsoon dust, post-rain rebounds and the arrival of cool-season trapping effects.
How bad is Diwali air quality in Hanumāngarh?
Across the CPCB record, the week around Diwali in Hanumāngarh averages AQI 269 — 1.42× the normal October baseline of AQI 189, a spike of 80 AQI points. Firework particulates combine with a cooler, more stagnant late-October atmosphere to produce some of the worst air-quality days of the entire year. Sensitive groups should treat Diwali eve and the two days after as peak-alert days: stay indoors, close windows by evening, run purifiers on high, and reserve any outdoor celebrations for daytime hours when mixing is strongest.
Does the monsoon actually clean Hanumāngarh's air?
Yes — meaningfully. Hanumāngarh's core monsoon window (Jul 15 – Sep 15) averages AQI 99, a 46.2% improvement on the annual mean of 184. Rain removes airborne particulates by wet deposition, and the deeper monsoon boundary layer disperses what remains vertically. Across 206 measured monsoon days we see 47.6% in the Good-or-Satisfactory band.
Is Hanumāngarh's worst season getting worse or better year-on-year?
Between 2023 and 2024, Hanumāngarh's annual average AQI moved from 191 to 178 — a change of -6.8%. In the most recent year-on-year comparison, the winter season specifically improved by 29.2%. The long-run direction is improving — NCAP policy pressure, cleaner fuels and tighter vehicle standards are showing up.
Which months are safest to visit Hanumāngarh?
August is the single best month at AQI 89. Based on the 12-month averages, the three cleanest months in Hanumāngarh are August (AQI 89), September (AQI 112), July (AQI 123). These are the safest choices for outdoor itineraries, long walks, open-air concerts and day-trips. Sensitive groups can treat these months as near-normal activity windows but should still check live AQI for the specific date. Avoid planning outdoor-heavy trips in January, when the baseline jumps into Very Poor territory.
How does Hanumāngarh's seasonal pattern compare to other Indian cities?
Hanumāngarh is classified as monsoon-cleansed. Based on a 12-month cosine-similarity index computed across all monitored Indian cities, the city whose seasonal signature most closely resembles Hanumāngarh's is Chandigarh (Chandigarh UT), with its own worst month in January. Cities with similar signatures often respond to similar policy levers — if a neighbouring peer has demonstrated improvements through specific interventions (construction-dust controls, bus electrification, brick-kiln regulation), they are likely candidates for Hanumāngarh too. The peer-city panel on this page lists the closest four additional matches.