Delhi remained the country’s most polluted city for the fifth consecutive day on Friday, recording an air quality index (AQI) of 429 in the ‘severe’ category. Due to improved wind speed, it was slightly better than the ‘severe plus’ AQI of 451 recorded by the city on Thursday.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), wind speed was recorded between 8 and 12 km per hour on Friday. On Thursday, its speed was less than 8 km per hour.
Climate conditions such as low wind speed and high humidity keep pollutants in the atmosphere.
The city recorded a minimum temperature of 7.5 degrees Celsius, 2.5 degrees above the season’s average, the IMD said. The maximum temperature was 23.3 degrees Celsius, one degree above normal.
The IMD has forecast rain on December 26 and partial showers on December 23 and 24. Dense fog is forecast till Sunday, after which it is likely to clear. For the next six days, the minimum temperature will be 7 to 9 degrees and the maximum temperature will be 22 to 23 degrees Celsius.
The Pune-based Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology has forecast AQI in the ‘very weak’ category on Saturday, which is likely to become ‘severe’ on Sunday. In its long-term forecast, it said the AQI is likely to fluctuate between ‘very poor’ and ‘poor’ after Sunday.
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