Delhi AQI Improves To 264 A Day After Rain Check IMD Weather Forecast For Saturday

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Delhi woke up to less polluted air and a clear sky on Saturday morning, a day after the year's first rain, which was also the highest January rainfall in two years yet.

The last highest rainfall in the first month of the year was recorded on January 30, 2023, when the city received 20.4 mm of rain, the India Meteorological Department (IMD ) said.

The Friday rain led to a sharp dip in temperatures and brought a welcome relief from the pollution levels.

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After days of oscillating between severe and very poor, Delhi's 24-hour average Air Quality Index stood at 282, placing it in the poor category.

At 7 AM on Saturday, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the AQI was recorded to be 264 in the 'poor' category.

As per the CPCB's Sameer app, 29 stations were in poor, and four each in very poor and moderate categories during the morning hours.

According to the CPCB, an AQI between zero and fifty is classified as good, 51–100 satisfactory, 101–200 moderate, 201–300 poor, 301–400 very poor, and 401–500 severe.

Air quality is likely to remain in the poor category on Saturday, and is expected to stay poor from January 25 to January 26, according to the air quality warning system.

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For Saturday, the IMD has forecast a generally cloudy sky with shallow to moderate fog during morning hours. Minimum and maximum temperatures are likely to settle around 7 degrees Celsius and 16.0 degrees Celsius, respectively.

“The maximum and minimum temperatures in Delhi are likely to be in the ranges of 16°C to 18°C and 06°C to 08°C, respectively. The minimum temperature will be near normal and the maximum temperatures will be below normal (2.3°C to 4.3°C) over Delhi,” IMD said in its release.

“The minimum temperature is expected to dip further due to rainfall,” an IMD scientist told PTI.

According to the weather agency's forecast, Delhi will witness a generally cloudy sky on Saturday with shallow to moderate fog during the morning hours.

Predominant surface wind has also been forecast from the north direction with wind speed less than 10 kmph during the morning hours.“The wind speed will increase up to 15 kmph from the northwest direction in the afternoon hours.”

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Friday recorded the highest minimum temperature in four years as the mercury settled at 13.7 degrees Celsius, according to official data. The last time the national capital saw a higher minimum was on January 9, 2022, when temperatures dipped only to 13.8 degrees Celsius.

The minimum temperatures remained relatively high due to cloud cover and rain, reported PTI.

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