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The national capital experienced a slight increase in minimum temperature on Saturday, while the maximum temperature decreased due to persistent cloudy conditions throughout the day. Although the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a yellow alert for the day, only isolated areas of Delhi received light rain during the night between Friday and Saturday. On Saturday morning, the Safdarjung weather station, a key representative of the city's weather, did not record any rain, while other stations reported varying amounts: Palam received 1.9 mm of rain between 11.30 pm on Friday and 2.30 am on Saturday; Lodhi Road recorded 0.3 mm; Ridge also noted 1.9 mm; Ayanagar experienced 5.8 mm; and Pitampura saw 0.5 mm during the same period. No additional rain was observed until 5.30 pm, according to IMD data. The minimum temperature rose to 20.7 degrees Celsius, which is 1.9 degrees above normal and 1.5 degrees higher than the previous day. In contrast, the maximum temperature reached 32
Delhi breathed easier on Monday after 157 days, as the city's air quality improved to 119 in the 'moderate' category, while the city recorded a maximum temperature of 32.2 degrees Celsius. The 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 119, the lowest recorded since October 9, 2025, when the AQI had stood at 99 in the same category. At 9 am on Monday, the AQI stood at 97 in the 'satisfactory' category, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The improvement came after the city experienced light rain on Sunday. According to the CPCB classification, 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'. The improvement in air quality came after many parts of Delhi and the surrounding region on Sunday received light rain, triggered by a western disturbance. The drizzle brought respite from the rising heat and helped disperse pollutants in the
Delhi was the most polluted city during 2024-25, recording the highest annual PM2.5 levels and extended periods of "severe" air quality in winter while Patna was the second-most polluted city, according to a new analysis by Climate Trends. Climate Trends is a research-based consulting and capacity-building initiative that aims to bring greater focus on issues of environment, climate change and sustainable development. Based on Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) air quality monitoring data, this report analysed how meteorological conditions influence the persistence of PM2.5 pollution across six major Indian cities such as Delhi, Patna, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai and Bengaluru. Using CPCB air quality data (2024-2025) combined with meteorological clustering, the study distinguished emission-driven pollution from weather-driven variability. "Delhi continues to face the most severe pollution crisis nationally with the highest annual average PM2.5 levels and the longest stretches of ..