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Mercury dips to 7.7°C in Delhi; rain, thunderstorms, fog expected over weekend
The mercury is expected to fall further on Saturday, reaching around 6-8°C, before rising to 11-13°C on Sunday due to intense cloudy conditions
The mercury in Delhi on Friday dipped to 7.7°C, 0.7 degrees below the normal, compared to 11°C a day earlier amid yellow alert for the weekend for possible rain, thunderstorms, and moderate to dense fog, even as the air quality remained “poor”.
It is expected to fall further on Saturday, reaching around 6-8°C, before rising to 11-13°Con Sunday due to intense cloudy conditions.
Also Read | Moderate fog envelopes Delhi; min temp above normal, air quality remains poor
Rain likely on Monday
Rain is also likely on Monday under the influence of a third western disturbance this month.
Moderate to dense fog was expected in the early hours over the weekend.
“One or two spells of light rain are possible, accompanied by thunderstorms and gusty winds of speed 30-40 kmph,” an India Meteorological Department (IMD) official said. He added that partly cloudy conditions are expected to persist through Friday.
An Air Quality Index (AQI) of 238 (poor) was recorded at 9am on Friday, compared to the 24-hour average of 226 (poor) at 4pm on Thursday.
The Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi (AQEWS) said the air quality is likely to deteriorate to the “very poor” category by Friday evening and remain so until Sunday. “The outlook for the subsequent six days is that the air quality is likely to be in the ‘very poor’ to ‘poor’ category,” said the AQEWS bulletin on Friday.
High wind speed and a light spell of rain expected over the weekend are likely to reduce the pollution levels. “The gusty winds will likely help dissipate the pollutants, leading to an improvement in the AQI over the weekend,” said private forecaster Skymet Weather vice president Mahesh Palawat.
