Rain and fast winds bring relief to Delhi-NCR air quality

Weather Shift

Rain and fast winds hit Noida, Delhi, Ghaziabad and nearby areas on Saturday night, bringing a sudden drop in temperature. According to the India Meteorological Department, Sunday marked the coldest night of the month so far in Delhi with a minimum temperature of 17.1 degrees Celsius, which is 1.3 degrees below normal. The minimum temperature on Sunday dropped by 1.5 degrees compared to Saturday.

Air Quality Update

Delhi's air quality index improved after being in the poor category for three days. The air quality index stood at 191 on Saturday evening, down from 230 on Friday. According to the Central Pollution Control Board, the air quality index further improved to 118 by Monday morning, falling into the satisfactory category. The board classifies an index of 51 to 100 as satisfactory and 101 to 200 as moderate.

Temperature Records

Monday morning records from various weather stations showed the minimum temperature at Palam was 16.9 degrees Celsius, two degrees below normal. Lodhi Road and Ayanagar both recorded 16.8 degrees Celsius, also two degrees below normal, while the Ridge recorded 17.7 degrees Celsius, which is 1.8 degrees below normal. The weather office stated that no rain was recorded across Delhi's five weather stations during the 24 hours ending at 8:30 am on Monday, with skies expected to remain mainly clear and the maximum temperature likely reaching 32 degrees Celsius.

Context

Changes in wind speed and rainfall often help clear trapped pollutants from the air in northern India during the cooler months. Meteorological agencies track these shifts daily to measure urban pollution levels and temperature trends.