Strong winds sweep Delhi clean: AQI drops to 214
What's the story
Delhi woke up to a pleasant winter morning on Saturday, with temperatures hovering around 13°C at 7:00am. The India Meteorological Department(IMD)'s forecast predicted mist and shallow to moderate fog in the morning but no rain. Owing mostly to strong surface winds, the average Air Quality Index (AQI) improved slightly from Friday's 220 to 214 on Saturday.
Forecast details
IMD predicts mainly clear sky, strong surface winds
The IMD's weather bulletin predicted a mainly clear sky with surface wind speeds between 15 and 25km/h during the day. Meanwhile, the maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to be 23°C-25°C and 09°C-11°C, respectively. Safdarjung, the main weather station, recorded a minimum temperature of 9.1°C and a maximum of 24.8°C on Friday, deviating from normal by 1.52°C.
Upcoming weather
Western Disturbances to bring rainfall in northern India
The IMD has predicted two Western Disturbances that will likely bring rainfall over the Western Himalayas in the coming days. "Wet spell with isolated to scattered rainfall/snowfall likely over Jammu-Kashmir-Ladakh-Gilgit Baltistan-Muzaffarabad, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand during 9th - 11th February," it said. No weather alerts have been issued for Delhi in the coming days.
Pollution levels
IGI Airport records best AQI, Jahangirpuri worst
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), 14 out of 39 monitoring stations in Delhi recorded 'moderate' air quality. Indira Gandhi International Airport had the best AQI at 139 on Saturday. However, Jahangirpuri recorded the worst AQI at 277, with a total of 25 stations reporting 'poor' air quality levels.