AQI moderate in Delhi, may worsen on Saturday: IMD

Gusty winds in Delhi improved air quality to moderate on Friday, but officials predict it will deteriorate to very poor on Saturday due to calm winds.

Gusty winds persisted for the fifth consecutive day in the Capital on Friday, filtering bad air and capping the 24-hour air quality (AQI) within the moderate zone, weather officials said.

New Delhi, India - Feb. 9, 2024: A view of Hauz-e-shamshi near Jahaz Mahal at Mehrauli in New Delhi, India, on Friday, February 9, 2024. (Photo by Raj K Raj/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

However, officials from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that the relief was only temporary as the air quality is set to deteriorate on Saturday owing to calm surface winds. Forecasts by the Early Warning System (EWS) for Delhi, a forecasting model under the ministry of earth sciences, showed the air quality will drop to the “very poor” zone on Saturday. 

The 24-hour average AQI was recorded at 145 (moderate) at 4pm, according to the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) national bulletin. This was the fifth consecutive day that the air quality was “moderate”.

The minimum temperature on Friday was 6.8 degrees Celsius (°C), three degrees below normal, while the maximum was 24°C, one degree above normal. On Thursday, the maximum and minimum were 22.2°C and 6.9°C, respectively.

Weather officials said that the average wind speed plunged to 10-12 km/hour on Friday, compared to the average speed of 20-25 km/hour a day earlier. “These surface winds approaching from the north-west will completely stop by Saturday, said” Kuldeep Srivastava, scientist at IMD

“Mainly clear skies were observed throughout the day, with no fog or cloud cover. The temperature is expected to stay consistent for the next few days, after which it will start rising,” Srivastava added.

IMD has forecast the minimum to stay around 7°C throughout the weekend and then gradually go up to 10°C by the end of next week. The maximum is forecast to oscillate between 24°C and 25°C.