Thanjavur — Seasonal Pollution Patterns
Month-by-month air quality patterns for Thanjavur across 1 years of CPCB data. Based on CPCB station data, 2016–present.
Tamil Nadu · Live Thanjavur AQI →
At a glance
Based on 1 years of CPCB monitoring across 1 stations, Thanjavur averages AQI 42 annually, with a pronounced seasonal pattern classified as flat year-round. The worst month is November at AQI 46 (Good) and the cleanest is October at AQI 38 (Good) — a 8-point swing between them. Severe days (AQI > 400) make up 0% of the record while Good-or-Satisfactory days account for 98.6%.
The four seasons
Indian meteorological seasons: Winter (Dec–Feb), Summer (Mar–May), Monsoon (Jun–Sep), Post-monsoon (Oct–Nov).
Winter
AQI 40Summer
AQI 0Monsoon
AQI 0Post-monsoon
AQI 43Climograph — 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 38 | 46 | 40 | 42 |
| Avg | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 46 | 40 | — |
Winter in Thanjavur
Winter (Dec–Jan–Feb) in Thanjavur averages AQI 40 across 23 measured days — Good on the NAQI scale. 0% of those days fall in Very Poor or Severe; 100% are Good or Satisfactory. Winter in Thanjavur is not the headline season, but shallow morning inversions can still produce short spikes. Thanjavur's cleanest months lie elsewhere in the calendar, so the winter response is less about evacuation than about protecting sensitive groups on the worst individual days.
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 67 (Satisfactory), versus 33 (Good) for the rest of October. 7 sampled days across the CPCB record.
Stubble-burning window (Oct 15 – Nov 15)
In-window severe-day share 0% vs 0% outside the window. The difference is a direct signal of upwind crop-residue transport.
Summer
Summer (Mar–Apr–May) in Thanjavur averages AQI 0 across 0 measured days — Good on the NAQI scale. 0% of those days fall in Very Poor or Severe; 0% are Good or Satisfactory. Summer air in Thanjavur 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. Thanjavur's summer mean of 0 is the lighter side of the year for outdoor activity, though hot afternoons can still irritate sensitive airways.
Monsoon
Monsoon (Jun–Jul–Aug–Sep) in Thanjavur averages AQI 0 across 0 measured days — Good on the NAQI scale. 0% of those days fall in Very Poor or Severe; 0% are Good or Satisfactory. 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. For anyone with asthma or heart conditions, monsoon is the easy-breathing stretch of the year in Thanjavur.
Post-monsoon
Post-monsoon (Oct–Nov) in Thanjavur averages AQI 43 across 47 measured days — Good on the NAQI scale. 0% of those days fall in Very Poor or Severe; 97.9% are Good or Satisfactory. Diwali and the three days either side of it average AQI 67 — 2.02× the normal October baseline of AQI 33 for Thanjavur, a spike of 34 points. Post-monsoon in Thanjavur 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 1-year CPCB record.
Daily calendar heatmap
Every measured day for the last 1 years. Expand for the full 1-year archive.
Month-by-month deep dive
Tap any month to expand.
Jan—+0%
No data for this month.
Feb—+0%
No data for this month.
Mar—+0%
No data for this month.
Apr—+0%
No data for this month.
May—+0%
No data for this month.
Jun—+0%
No data for this month.
Jul—+0%
No data for this month.
Aug—+0%
No data for this month.
Sep—+0%
No data for this month.
Oct2024–2024Latest AQI 38+0%
Oct in Thanjavur averages AQI 38 (Good) in the most recent year, having moved from 38 in 2024. Direction: stable (+0.0%).
Nov2024–2024Latest AQI 46+0%
Nov in Thanjavur averages AQI 46 (Good) in the most recent year, having moved from 46 in 2024. Direction: stable (+0.0%).
Dec2024–2024Latest AQI 40+0%
Dec in Thanjavur averages AQI 40 (Good) in the most recent year, having moved from 40 in 2024. Direction: stable (+0.0%).
Cities with similar (and opposite) seasonal profiles
Ranked by cosine similarity of 12-month AQI signatures across monitored Indian cities.
What to do with this information
If you are choosing when to visit Thanjavur or plan outdoor events — marathons, weddings, school sports, outdoor festivals — the CPCB record says October 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 November in Thanjavur 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 Thanjavur?
November is the most polluted month in Thanjavur on average, with a long-run AQI of 46 — firmly in the Good band. This is drawn from 1 CPCB monitoring stations across 1 years of daily readings. Through November, 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 Thanjavur?
October is the cleanest month of the year in Thanjavur, averaging AQI 38 in the Good band. The months immediately before and after also tend to sit well below the annual mean of 42, so a visit window centred on October 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 Thanjavur's air spike in November?
Thanjavur's profile is relatively flat year-round; the small November reflects modest swings in wind, rainfall and local emissions rather than a dramatic seasonal mechanism.
How bad is Diwali air quality in Thanjavur?
Across the CPCB record, the week around Diwali in Thanjavur averages AQI 67 — 2.02× the normal October baseline of AQI 33, a spike of 34 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 Thanjavur's air?
Monsoon cleansing depends on local geography and emissions mix; we need more CPCB data to quantify the effect in Thanjavur.
Is Thanjavur's worst season getting worse or better year-on-year?
We need more years of CPCB coverage in Thanjavur to quantify year-on-year change with confidence.
Which months are safest to visit Thanjavur?
October is the single best month at AQI 38. Based on the 12-month averages, the three cleanest months in Thanjavur are October (AQI 38), December (AQI 40), November (AQI 46). 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 November, when the baseline jumps into Good territory.
How does Thanjavur's seasonal pattern compare to Delhi?
Thanjavur is classified as flat year-round, while Delhi is strongly winter-dominant with a large Diwali and stubble-burning signal. If the two look similar, interventions that work in Delhi (BS-VI vehicle rollout, construction-dust control, seasonal industry curtailment) are worth trialling here. If they look very different, the dominant sources in Thanjavur are likely different and the policy mix should reflect that.