Mercury drops by three degrees, rain may be in the offing

The mercury level in Noida slipped by over three degrees in the past 24 hours as icy cold winds swept through the region on Saturday, the with weather department

The mercury level in Noida slipped by over three degrees in the past 24 hours as icy cold winds swept through the region on Saturday, the with weather department expecting the temperature to fall further over the next few days.

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Meanwhile, the air quality of the region deteriorated, but stayed within ‘poor’ category on the air quality index (AQI).

According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), the mercury is expected to fall further by a degree or two over the next two days. However, another western disturbance — a phenomenon that causes rains in the region, is expected to approach on Monday that may lead to rain or drizzles on Tuesday. The IMD has warned of dense fog for next the two days during the early hours, especially between 6am and 9am.

“On Sunday, the sky will remain partly cloudy, with dense fog in the morning. The minimum and maximum temperature may hover around 7 degrees and 17 degrees Celsius respectively,” an official at IMD said.

On Saturday, the minimum temperature was recorded at 8.4 degrees Celsius, a notch above the season’s average while it was 11.3 degrees a day earlier. The maximum temperature was recorded at 17.7 degree Celsius, two notches below the season’s average on Saturday, the same a day earlier.

“The temperatures are slipping due to the cold north-westerly winds. However, they will change to easterly, and minimum temperatures are likely to rise around Tuesday, which may see drizzles,” said Mahesh Palawat, director of private weather forecasting agency Skymet.

According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the AQI of Noida, on a scale of 0 to 500, on Saturday was 287, against 225 a day earlier, both considered ‘poor’.

The AQI of Ghaziabad was recorded at 245 against 247 a day earlier, both ‘poor’. The AQI of Greater Noida was 256 against 208 a day earlier.

According to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (Safar), the air quality is likely to improve over next two days due to the winds.

“The high wind speed is forecast to increase for the next two days. The Safar model suggests a marginal improvement in AQI, and is likely to stay in the lower end of the poor to moderate category in the next two days (January 19 and 20). AQI is likely to deteriorate on 21st January to the higher end of poor to lower end of very poor category. ,” the Safar forecast said.