New Delhi: Delhi recorded a sharp improvement in air quality on Saturday, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) touching 192 (moderate) at 4pm — the cleanest the capital has seen in 102 days. The last moderate reading was on Oct 13 last year, when the AQI stood at 189. The improvement began on Friday under the influence of rain and gusty winds, though the day’s average AQI remained poor at 282. According to IITM’s Air Quality Early Warning System, the AQI is expected to slip back to the poor category on Sunday. “The air quality is likely to be in the very poor category on Jan 26 and in the poor category on Jan 27. For the subsequent six days, the AQI is expected to fluctuate between poor and very poor,” the Early Warning System stated. Minimum temperatures dropped by more than 6 degrees Celsius in the past 24 hours, settling at 7.6 degrees Celsius on Saturday. The Met department expects temperatures to fall further on Sunday, Jan 25, and on Republic Day, Jan 26. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert for Jan 27, forecasting another spell of rain as a western disturbance approaches the region from the night of Jan 26. A clear sky and shallow fog are likely on the morning of Jan 26. On Friday, the city had recorded widespread light to moderate rainfall. Safdarjung, the base station, logged 19.8mm of rain in the 24 hours ending 8.30am Saturday. The rain and fresh snowfall in the western Himalayas contributed to the dip in temperatures. On Saturday, however, clearer skies pushed the maximum temperature up by over 2 degrees Celsius. The day’s maximum settled at 18.2 degrees Celsius, two notches below normal, compared with 16 degrees Celsius a day earlier. Safdarjung reported visibility of 400 metres in moderate fog at 1.30am, while Palam recorded similar visibility at 2am. According to IMD, minimum temperatures on Sunday and Monday may hover between 4 degrees Celsius and 6 degrees Celsius, with shallow to moderate fog. For Jan 26, improved visibility is expected with stronger winds. “The predominant surface wind will be northwesterly at up to 5 kmph in the morning, increasing to 10 kmph in the afternoon, and easing to 8 kmph from the northeast by evening and night,” the IITM early warning system forecast. “Another western disturbance will impact the region on the night of Jan 26, leading to light rain on Jan 27. Minimum temperatures may rise briefly but will dip again,” said Mahesh Palawat, vice-president, Skymet. IMD forecasts a fall in minimum temperatures by 1–2 degrees Celsius over the next two days, a rise of 5–6 degrees Celsius during the following two days, and another fall of 2–4 degrees Celsius thereafter. “Minimum temperatures are likely to remain below normal for the next two days and above normal on Jan 27, 29 and 30. Generally cloudy skies with one or two spells of light rain, thunderstorms or lightning, and gusty winds of 30–40 kmph are likely during early morning to forenoon hours,” the Met department said.
