Sunny morning in Delhi, air quality ‘moderate’

Delhi woke up to a bright and pleasant Saturday morning, with the minimum temperature recorded at 23.7 degrees Celsius — 1.4 degrees above the season’s average, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The weather office said the sky will remain partly cloudy through the day, with the maximum temperature expected to reach around 33 degrees Celsius. Humidity was recorded at 90 per cent at 8:30 am.

At 9 am, Delhi’s air quality stood in the ‘moderate’ category, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) reading of 114, as per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). An AQI between 101 and 200 is considered ‘moderate’, while readings between 51–100 are ‘satisfactory’ and 0–50 ‘good’.

Officials said a combination of light rainfall and steady winds helped the city escape a post-Dussehra pollution spike this week. On Friday, the 24-hour average AQI settled at 88 — in the ‘satisfactory’ range — breaking a 21-day streak of moderate or higher pollution levels.

In previous years, Delhi’s air quality has typically worsened after Dussehra. In 2024, the AQI rose from 155 on Dussehra to 224 the next day, while in 2023 it increased from 220 to 243. The sharpest spike was seen on October 26, 2020, when the AQI touched 353, categorised as ‘very poor’.

Saturday’s maximum temperature was 33.5 degrees Celsius — slightly below normal — while the minimum remained at 23.7 degrees Celsius, the IMD added.