Air quality moderate in Delhi as mercury rises; temperature may touch 40°C next week

Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 20.2 degrees Celsius on Sunday morning, 0.8 notches below the season’s average, even as the national capital continues to witness a gradual rise in temperatures.

The weather office has predicted strong surface winds during the daytime, with the maximum temperature likely to touch 31 degrees Celsius on Sunday.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), temperatures are expected to rise further in the coming days, with the mercury likely to reach around 38-40 degrees Celsius by the middle of next week.

On Saturday, Safdarjung — the city’s base weather station — recorded a maximum temperature of 34.7 degrees Celsius, which was 1.4 degrees below normal but 1.9 degrees higher than the previous day. The minimum temperature was logged at 18.6 degrees Celsius, 2.4 degrees below normal but 2.3 degrees higher than Friday.

Other weather stations also recorded an increase in temperatures. Palam recorded a maximum temperature of 34.4 degrees Celsius, 2.6 degrees higher than Friday, and a minimum of 19.5 degrees Celsius, which was 3.9 degrees higher than the previous day. Lodhi Road recorded a minimum temperature of 17.8 degrees Celsius, marking a rise of 2.6 degrees.

The IMD has forecast the minimum temperature to be around 18-20 degrees Celsius by Sunday and 20-22 degrees Celsius by Tuesday. The maximum temperature is expected to remain around 35-37 degrees Celsius by Sunday before rising to 38-40 degrees Celsius by Wednesday.

The MeT department has also predicted gusty winds with speeds of 15-25 kmph, which may reach up to 35 kmph during the daytime hours on Sunday.

Relative humidity was recorded at 60 per cent at 8.30 am on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the city’s air quality remained in the ‘moderate’ category. The Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 156 at 9 am on Sunday, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

The 24-hour average AQI was recorded at 123 at 4 pm on Saturday, showing an improvement from 151 recorded at the same time on Friday.

According to CPCB standards, an AQI between zero and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 to 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 to 200 ‘moderate’, 201 to 300 ‘poor’, 301 to 400 ‘very poor’, and 401 to 500 ‘severe’.

The Air Quality Early Warning System (AQEWS) has forecast the AQI to remain in the moderate category over the next few days before deteriorating to the poor category in the subsequent days.