Thanks to rain, air cleaner but fog expected in Delhi today

NEW DELHI: The capital's air turned 'satisfactory' after several months as light showers over the last few days, aided by wind, led to a drop in mercury. Delhi's minimum temperature was recorded at 9.5 degrees Celsius - three notches below normal, while Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 100 (satisfactory), the cleanest since January 22 when it was 104 (moderate). The capital also saw light rain in some areas on Wednesday morning and the IMD forecasts the minimum temperature could drop to around 7 degrees by Thursday, keeping the cold very much intact.

The maximum too remained below normal at 20 degree C, six notches below what is normal for this time of the season. Officials from the regional met department said shallow to moderate fog could occur on Thursday, while more rain is likely over the weekend.

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"There has been a drop in temperature due to cold winds blowing towards Delhi and rain. This moisture could see shallow to moderate fog occurring on Thursday. Another spell of rain has been forecast on Saturday and Sunday, before which the minimum could fall to around 7 degrees C," said BP Yadav, IMD's met head.

While Safdarjung, which is considered for Delhi's weather, recorded a minimum of 9.5 degrees celsius, other locations in the capital saw temperatures drop even lower. Ayanagar had a minimum of 8.2 degrees, alongside Gurugram while Jafarpur recorded a minimum of 9.4 degrees. The relative humidity meanwhile oscillated between 63 to 95%.

SAFAR, a body under the ministry of earth sciences says wind speeds are favourable at the moment, however it could deteriorate slightly to "moderate" category by Thursday. "The air quality will remain in satisfactory to moderate category in next 3 days," the body said.