Delhi: Air quality gets poor, thunderstorm with rain expected today

Delhi woke up to ‘poor’ air quality on Friday morning, as the Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 297 at 9 AM, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported that the national capital registered a minimum temperature of 26.2 degrees Celsius, slightly below the season’s average by 0.3 degrees. The weather office has predicted thunderstorms with rain on both Friday and Saturday, while the maximum temperature is likely to hover around 41 degrees Celsius. Relative humidity stood at 44 per cent at 8:30 AM.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, Delhi experienced a sharp deterioration in air quality as gusty winds carrying dust from west Rajasthan swept through the city. The dust storm led to a significant spike in pollution levels and reduced visibility, triggering a political blame game between the BJP and AAP.

Data from the CPCB showed that PM10 levels surged nearly 145 per cent, reaching 337.6 µg/m³ at 3 PM, while PM2.5 levels shot up over 200 per cent to 196.1 µg/m³. In comparison, on Wednesday at the same time, PM10 levels were recorded at 133.3 µg/m³ and PM2.5 at 41.9 µg/m³.

At 4 PM on Thursday, Delhi’s AQI stood at 292, placing it in the ‘poor’ category for the first time in nearly two weeks. The capital had been enjoying ‘moderate’ air quality since April 29.

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According to the IMD, a high north-south pressure gradient over northwest India was responsible for the strong dust-raising winds gusting up to 30-40 kmph, sweeping across Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, and north Rajasthan from Wednesday night into Thursday morning.

The dust storm severely impacted visibility, with Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport reporting the lowest visibility at 1,200 metres during the period. Notably, there had been no prior forecast for such an intense and prolonged dust storm in the Delhi-NCR region.

Delhi also recorded a maximum temperature of 40.6 degrees Celsius on Thursday, 1.1 degrees above the normal, while the minimum settled at 25.4 degrees Celsius. Humidity levels fluctuated between 42 and 21 per cent throughout the day.

(With inputs from PTI)