Relatively warmer day in Delhi today; AQI unchanged at ‘very poor’

According to the India Meteorological Department’s weekly forecast, the maximum temperature is expected to hover around 24°C on Tuesday

Delhi’s minimum temperature rose by several notches on Tuesday as the Safdarjung observatory, which is representational of Delhi’s weather, recorded a minimum temperature of 12.3°C, around four degrees above the normal for this time of the year.

A man guides a herd of sheep on a cold winter day in New Delhi. (PTI Photo)

According to the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) weekly forecast, the maximum temperature is expected to hover around 24°C on Tuesday.

The IMD has forecast light rain for Tuesday evening, drizzles are expected in isolated areas on Wednesday and Thursday.

“Delhi is beginning to see the impact of the active western disturbance influencing north India, with warm easterly winds blowing since the morning. A combination of clear skies, which allows the surface to heat up faster, aided by warmer easterly winds, led to the maximum temperature rising this high,” said Kuldeep Srivastava, scientist at IMD, stating a dip in maximum is now expected as cloudy skies are back to Delhi.

Meanwhile, the air quality was in the ‘very poor’ category on Tuesday morning, with the hourly air quality index (AQI) reading at 305 on the Central Pollution Control Board’s city-wise index at 9 am. The AQI was in the ‘very poor’ category on Monday as well, with a reading of 335.

An AQI between zero and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 and 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 and 200 ‘moderate’, 201 and 300 ‘poor’, 301 and 400 ‘very poor’, and 401 and 500 ‘severe’.

According to the Early Warning System (EWS) for Delhi-NCR, the air quality is likely to improve to ‘poor’ by Thursday.

“The air quality is likely to deteriorate slightly but will remain in the ‘very poor’ category on Tuesday. It is likely to improve after that but will remain ‘very poor’ on Wednesday. On Thursday, it will improve further and reach the ‘poor’ category,” the EWS predicted.