Delhi sees cleanest air in 8 months; yellow alert issued

Delhi: The national capital on Thursday recorded a minimum temperature of 27.2 degrees Celsius, as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a yellow alert warning of thunderstorm and lightning activity during the day. The maximum temperature is expected to hover around 34 degrees Celsius, the IMD said.

Delhi also continued to witness improved air quality, a trend that began on Wednesday when the city recorded its cleanest air in over eight months. The Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 99 at 9 am on Thursday, placing it in the ‘satisfactory’ category, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

On Wednesday, the AQI dropped to 81—the cleanest in the last 261 days—since September 29, 2024, when it had touched 76, also under the ‘satisfactory’ category. The improvement is being attributed to light rain and strong surface winds that helped disperse pollutants.

According to the CPCB, an AQI between 0 and 50 is classified as ‘good’, 51–100 ‘satisfactory’, 101–200 ‘moderate’, 201–300 ‘poor’, 301–400 ‘very poor’, and 401–500 ‘severe’.

The IMD had earlier placed the city under an ‘orange’ warning for moderate rainfall, thunderstorm, and gusty winds at speeds of 40–50 kmph for Wednesday evening. The weather office said the capital recorded a maximum temperature of 34.2 degrees Celsius on Wednesday—2.6 degrees below the seasonal average—while the minimum temperature stood at 28 degrees Celsius, 0.5 degrees above normal.

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The relative humidity was reported at 94 per cent at 5.30 PM and 90 per cent at 8.30 AM, indicating high moisture content in the atmosphere. The weather department expects similar conditions to persist over the next 24 hours.

(With inputs from PTI)