Delhi braces for warmer days as mercury set to rise, AQI turns 'poor'

The maximum temperature in Delhi this week is expected to hover between 40 degrees Celsius and 42 degrees Celsius, though a further rise is anticipated in the coming days. Cloudy skies, light rain, and strong surface winds last week brought some relief from the heat, but humidity levels have increased. The current weather pattern is attributed to multiple active systems over northern India.

 

Weather forecast for Delhi today

 

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast a maximum temperature of 40 degrees Celsius and a minimum of 21 degrees Celsius for today. The skies are expected to remain clear. The IMD has issued a yellow alert for intense heat from April 25 to April 27. 

 

Weather forecast for the week

 

Temperatures are likely to remain between 40 degrees Celsius and 42 degrees Celsius over the next few days. The IMD has forecast mainly clear skies until April 25 and issued a heatwave alert for the latter half of the week. Strong surface winds are expected during the daytime on April 23 and April 24. Heatwave conditions are likely in the national capital in the coming days.

 

In the northeast and east, scattered to fairly widespread light to moderate rain is expected over the next few days, along with thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds.

 

In southern India, Kerala and Mahe are likely to experience similar conditions, with rain, thunder, lightning, and gusty winds. Other areas in the southern peninsula may receive isolated to scattered showers.

 

Delhi AQI update

 

Air quality in the capital deteriorated to the ‘poor’ category on Wednesday morning after being in the ‘moderate’ category for the past few days. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 217 at 7 am on April 23.

 

The AQI across Delhi-NCR improved marginally, with levels falling into the ‘satisfactory’ or ‘moderate’ category. Delhi’s 24-hour average AQI stood at 227 at 4 pm on April 22. In Gurugram, the AQI improved to 117, placing it in the ‘moderate’ category. Noida and Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh recorded AQIs of 144 and 169, respectively. Ghaziabad’s AQI dropped to 206, categorising it as ‘poor’.