Delhi smog to continue on Friday, predicts weatherman

A choking blanket of smog enveloped the national capital this week, prompting authorities to announce closure of schools till Sunday and a four-fold hike in parking fees among other measures.

Dense smog continued to engulf the national capital for a third day on Thursday and the weatherman has forecast a similar situation for Friday.

Students make their way to school on Thursday morning. The Delhi government declared a holiday for schools till Sunday due to smog as a part of the emergency measures implemented. (Sushil Kumar/HT Photo)

The visibility was 200 metres in the morning, but it improved gradually to 800 metres by 5:30pm.

“The maximum temperature was recorded at 30.5 degrees Celsius, a notch above normal,” a MeT official said.

Humidity levels oscillated between 98 and 31 per cent.

The weatherman has predicted shallow fog in some areas for Friday morning but a possibility of dense smog in few other areas.

“The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to settle at 30 and 14 degrees Celsius,” the official added.

A choking blanket of smog enveloped the national capital this week, prompting the authorities to announce closure of schools till Sunday and a four-fold hike in parking fees among a series of sweeping measures.

A “pollution emergency” prevailed in Delhi for the third straight day on Thursday as the toxic cloud of smog kept the city shrouded, a situation which is likely to persist for another 48 hours.