Dust from Rajasthan pushes Delhi AQI into very poor zone
Delhi's air quality just took a sharp dive, landing in the very poor zone for the first time since February.
Thanks to dust blowing in from Rajasthan late Sunday, the air quality index, or AQI, spiked to 304 on Tuesday morning, after last being in the very poor zone on February 11.
The haze stuck around overnight, and even though things improved a bit by afternoon (AQI at 254), pollution levels stayed high.
Delhi hits 44.8°C, IMD yellow alert
On top of bad air, Delhi's dealing with serious heat: Safdarjung hit 43.5 degrees Celsius and Ayanagar saw 44.8 degrees Celsius on Tuesday.
The India Meteorological Department, or IMD, has issued a yellow alert for Wednesday, warning temperatures could reach 46 degrees Celsius.
Good news though: rain and gusty winds are expected from Thursday, so temperatures should drop below 40 degrees Celsius by Friday.