 "Delhi to witness partly cloudy skies, light rain today; AQI 'moderate'")
Delhi residents woke up to a pleasant morning on Wednesday after parts of the city witnessed light rainfall on the evening of May 13. The national capital continues to enjoy a spell of relief from the heatwaves due to the rain and strong winds over the past week. Drizzles and a drop in the maximum temperature have kept the weather relatively cool.
Today's forecast: Cloudy skies, light rainfall expected
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast light rainfall with partly cloudy skies for today. The maximum temperature shall remain between 39 to 41 degrees Celsius while the minimum temperatures are likely to settle around 24 to 26 degrees Celsius. Sustained surface winds of speeds of 15–25 kmph will continue, occasionally going to 35 kmph.
Weather forecast for the week
Residents can expect relief from the heat to continue this week, with thunderstorms, rainfall, and a dip in maximum temperatures. Thunderstorms accompanied by rain and gusty winds are likely to continue until today, and then be back on May 16. Cloudy skies are expected to remain for the rest of the week. Strong surface winds, reaching speeds of 30–40 kmph during storms, will also be seen. According to the IMD, the maximum temperature is expected to hover around 40 degrees Celsius from May 14 to 17.
Air quality remains in ‘moderate’ category
Air quality in Delhi remained in the ‘moderate’ category on Wednesday morning. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 118 at 7 am on May 14, compared to 137 at the same time a day earlier.
The AQI across Delhi-NCR also moved to the ‘moderate’ or ‘satisfactory’ category. Delhi’s 24-hour average AQI stood at 141 at 4 pm on May 13. In Gurugram, the AQI dropped to 126, placing it in the ‘moderate’ category. Noida and Greater Noida recorded AQIs of 116 and 139, respectively, while Ghaziabad’s AQI stood at 114.
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’.