Cloudy skies, thunderstorms likely in Delhi today, AQI rises to 236

Delhi residents woke up to a pleasant morning on Thursday after parts of the city witnessed light rainfall over the past few days. 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, thunderstorms expected

 

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast partly cloudy skies with thunderstorms and lightning for today. The maximum temperature shall remain around 40 degrees Celsius, while the minimum temperature is likely to settle around 23 degrees Celsius. Sustained surface winds at speeds of 30–40 kmph will continue. 

 

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 return on 16 May. 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 14 to 17 May. 

 

Air quality deteriorates to 'poor' category

 

Air quality in Delhi deteriorated to the 'poor' category on Thursday morning. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 236 at 7 am on 15 May, compared to 118 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 135 at 4 pm on 14 May. In Gurugram, the AQI dropped to 121, placing it in the ‘moderate’ category. Noida and Greater Noida recorded AQIs of 113 and 112, respectively, while Ghaziabad’s AQI stood at 107. 

 

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’.