Delhi air quality is in “very poor” category, expects to improve with showers & gusty winds

|HT|

Delhi’s air quality was in the “very poor” category on Thursday morning even as it was expected to improve amid light to moderate showers with gusty winds touching up to 40kmph. An Air Quality Index (AQI) of 321 was recorded at 7am. The average AQI was 319 on Wednesday at 4pm. The System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research said AQI will start improving from Thursday due to rain.

The maximum temperature on Thursday was expected to dip by 4-5 degrees amid a western disturbance. “This is the first western disturbance for February and light rain is expected in Delhi...the rain intensity will be stronger further up north,” said IMD scientist RK Jenamani. He added the impact of the western disturbance will continue until Friday. “On both days, the maximum (temperatures) will be below the normal mark. It may also drop to 15-16 degrees in some parts of Delhi.”

The IMD classifies rainfall between 2.5 and 15.5 mm as “light”, 15.6 and 64.4 mm as “moderate” and over 64.5 mm in a day as “heavy” rainfall. On Wednesday, Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 23.4 degrees Celsius, a degree above normal. It was likely to dip to 18 degrees Celsius on Thursday.

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