Delhi wakes up to 6.7 degrees Celsius minimum temperature, air quality remains poor

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The national capital woke up to a chilly Saturday, with the minimum temperature dropping to 6.7 degrees Celsius - about 1.7 degrees below the seasonal norm - according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Data from various weather stations showed wide variation across the city. Palam recorded a minimum of 8.1 degrees Celsius, while Lodi Road saw 7.1 degrees Celsius. The Ridge station reported 7.7 degrees, and Ayanagar logged 6.6 degrees Celsius. At Safdarjung, considered Delhi's base weather station, the night temperature also settled at 6.7 degrees Celsius.

Air quality remains in ‘poor' category across the capital

Air quality remained a concern, with pollution levels staying in the ‘poor' category. As per Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data, the Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 278 around 9 am, while an earlier reading at 7 am showed an AQI of 271.

Several areas record ‘very poor' AQI levels

Several monitoring stations across Delhi reported poor to very poor air quality. AQI levels crossed 300 in areas such as Ashok Vihar (309), Dwarka Sector 8 (329), Mundka (331), Wazirpur (331), Rohini (312), Punjabi Bagh (318), RK Puram (322) and Okhla Phase-2 (323). Relatively lower - but still poor - readings were recorded in Narela (232) and Alipur (227).

According to the CPCB, an AQI between zero and 50 is considered 'good', 51 to 100 'satisfactory', 101 to 200 'moderate', 201 to 300 'poor', 301 to 400 'very poor', and 401 to 500 'severe'.

Dense fog disrupts visibility at airports across north and central India

Meanwhile, fog disrupted visibility at several airports across north and central India during the early morning hours, the IMD said. Very dense fog, with visibility dropping below 50 metres, was reported at Ambala in Haryana and at Agra, Bareilly, Saifai and Hindon in Uttar Pradesh, as well as Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh, where visibility fell to zero.

Fog conditions range from very dense to shallow at multiple locations

Dense fog conditions, with visibility between 50 and 200 metres, were observed in Varanasi and Lucknow (50 metres) and Prayagraj (100 metres). Moderate fog was reported at Jorhat in Assam and Bagdogra in West Bengal, while shallow fog affected airports in Punjab and Bihar, including Adampur, Bhatinda, Halwara and Gaya.

In the dense fog category, where visibility ranged from 50 metres to 200 metres, Varanasi and Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh recorded 50 metres, while Prayagraj reported 100 metres.

Moderate fog was observed at Jorhat in Assam, with visibility at 200 metres, and at Bagdogra in West Bengal, with visibility at 400 metres.

Meanwhile, several airports reported shallow fog, with visibility between 500 metres and 1,000 metres. Adampur in Punjab recorded visibility of 500 metres; Bhatinda reported 600 metres; and Halwara in Punjab and Gaya in Bihar registered 800 metres each.