AQI improves to ‘very poor’ zone as parts of Delhi receive light rain
An average air quality index (AQI) of 343 (very poor) was recorded at 9am in the national Capital compared to the 4pm reading of 386 (very poor) on Wednesday
Parts of Delhi recorded light rain in the early hours of Thursday and improved the air quality to the “very poor” category even as the minimum temperature was three degrees above normal and the maximum was expected to hover around 17°C.

Safdarjung, which is representative of Delhi’s weather, recorded 3.9mm of rainfall over 24 hours until 8:30am, Palam 10.1mm, and Ridge (9.7mm). The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said isolated drizzle was expected in parts of Delhi on Thursday. “The rain is due to a prevailing western disturbance. Due to overcast skies, the maximum temperature will remain low on Thursday,” said an IMD official.
An average Air Quality Index (AQI) of 343 (very poor) was recorded at 9am compared to the 4pm reading of 386 (very poor) on Wednesday. The AQI crossed 400 by 8pm on Wednesday prompting the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR to invoke Stage 3 and Stage 4 measures of the Graded Response Action Plan.
The minimum temperature on Thursday rose due to overcast skies to 10.3°C while it was 6°C a day earlier. On Wednesday, the maximum temperature was 18.1°C.
The rain also helped improve visibility on Thursday. A shallow fog was recorded in the early hours of the day. The lowest visibility at Palam was 800 metres and 500 metres at Safdarjung. Over 350 flights were delayed and six diverted as visibility on Wednesday dropped to zero for three hours between 8:30am and 11:30am.

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