At the AIIMS roundabout in New Delhi. (PTI Photo/Arun Sharma) Strong winds and a minimum temperature of 5 degrees Celsius are on the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast for Delhi on Saturday.
The maximum temperature is likely to be 21 degrees Celsius. The minimum temperature in the early hours of Saturday was 5.4 degrees at the Safdarjung weather observatory, three degrees below the normal, while the temperature at 8.30 am was 7.2 degrees. The maximum temperature over the past 24 hours was 20.6 degrees Celsius, two degrees below the normal.
Over the next week, the IMD forecast indicates that rain and thunderstorms are a possibility on February 3 and 4, on account of a western disturbance. During the next four to five days, a rise in minimum temperature by 4 to 6 degrees is likely over northwest and central India.
Meanwhile, the AQI in Delhi on Friday was 215, in the ‘poor’ category. It is likely to remain in the ‘poor’ category on Saturday, with winds preventing a further deterioration in air quality. The wind speed during the day on Saturday is likely to be around 20 to 30 kmph, according to the Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi. The AQI has remained in the ‘poor’ category from Jan 23 onwards, having improved from ‘very poor’ on Jan 22.
Early this month, Delhi recorded one ‘severe’ air day, going by the Central Pollution Control Board bulletins. There have been 12 days when the AQI has remained in the ‘very poor’ category in January. Rainfall brought on by a western disturbance brought with it two days of ‘satisfactory’ air quality this month. AQI between 51 and 100 is considered ‘satisfactory’.
At most monitoring stations on Saturday morning, the 24-hour average AQI was in the ‘poor’ or ‘moderate’ categories. The air quality at Anand Vihar continues to remain in the ‘severe’ category, with an AQI of 412.
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