New Delhi: Delhi on Thursday witnessed foggy conditions that reduced visibility in parts of the city in the early hours of the day, the India Meteorological Department said, adding that similar weather is likely during the next few days.
The city recorded a minimum temperature of 5.8 degrees Celsius, two notches below the season’s average. The maximum temperature settled at 16.7 degrees Celsius, three notches below normal, it said.
Relative humidity at 5.30 pm was 83 per cent.
Dense fog engulfed Delhi in the morning with visibility dropping to 100 metres at the Safdarjung Observatory, which is considered the official marker for the city, and 50-100 metres at the Palam Observatory, the weather office said.
Foggy conditions prevailed in the city for the most part of the day and will continue for the next few days.
“The city will witness dense fog in the morning on Friday and Saturday. The maximum and minimum temperatures on Friday will hover around 19 and 6 degrees Celsius respectively,” the IMD said.
Moderate fog is expected on Sunday, it said.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Delhi’s air quality deteriorated to enter the ‘very poor’ category in the evening. The air quality index (AQI) stood at 290 in the morning and 321 at 4 pm.
The air quality in neighbouring cities of Ghaziabad (335) and Greater Noida (332) was also recorded in the ‘very poor’ category, while that in Faridabad (257), Gurgaon (282) and Noida (297) was recorded in the ‘poor’ category.
An AQI between zero and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 and 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 and 200 ‘moderate’, 201 and 300 ‘poor’, 301 and 400 ‘very poor’, and 401 and 500 ‘severe’.
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