Strong surface winds blowing over the national capital slightly improved the air quality, keeping it in the ‘poor’ category on Friday morning.
At 9:00 am, Delhi’s air quality index (AQI) stood at 224, improving mildly from Thursday’s 24-hour average of 241, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). On Wednesday, the AQI readings entered the ‘very poor’ category, touching 339.
Wind speeds picked up since Thursday morning, gusting up to 20 kmph during the past 24 hours over Delhi, dispersing the pollutants near the surface.
Weather experts have forecast strong winds to continue over the city on Friday, with surface winds reaching up to 25 kmph over the next 24 hours, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) morning bulletin.
Clear skies with bright sunshine are likely over Delhi until Saturday, which is expected to be covered by an overcast sky with mist and moderate to shallow fog during the morning hours from Sunday onwards.
IMD officials attributed the change in weather conditions to the likelihood of a fresh western disturbance affecting the western Himalayan region from the night of Sunday, bringing down wind speeds to 5-10 kmph.
Meanwhile, the temperatures are likely to remain in the normal range over the next five days, with minimum temperatures hovering between 9 and 11 degrees Celsius, while the maximum is expected to remain between 23 and 26 degrees Celsius.
