Cold Wave Grips Delhi: Fog Returns After 6-Year March Chill, Air Quality Improves

Cold Wave Grips Delhi: Fog Returns After 6-Year March Chill, Air Quality Improves

PTI

NEW DELHI : Delhi woke up in a shroud of fog on Saturday with the minimum temperature dipping to 13 degrees Celsius, 3.5 degrees below the normal, as a chilly wind swept the city.

Delhi had on Friday registered a minimum temperature of 16 degrees Celsius. On Saturday, the air quality index (AQI) stood at 94 (satisfactory) at 8 am.

Owing to rain, air quality improved dramatically on Friday with an AQI of 93, marking the first 'satisfactory' air day in about five months in the national capital.

The last time the city recorded the same air quality was on October 9, 2025, when the AQI stood at 99.

Forecasts show moderate air and mild weather

The air quality is likely to be in the 'moderate' category from Saturday to March 23, according to the Air Quality Early Warning System.

According to CPCB standards, an AQI of 0-50 is considered 'good', 51-100 'satisfactory', 101-200 'moderate', 201-300 'poor', 301-400 'very poor', and 401-500 'severe'.

Temperature dips, light rain forecast next week

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the maximum temperature on Saturday is likely to settle at 27 degrees Celsius. No rain was recorded in the morning, unlike Friday, when the city received 7 mm of precipitation.

Delhi's average rainfall for the month is 16.2 mm, making it the wettest March since 2023, when the average stood at 50.4 mm.

According to forecasts, very light rain is expected to return to Delhi on Monday, with the possibility of thunderstorms and lightning caused by an active western disturbance.

Coldest March day recorded at Safdarjung station

The Safdarjung station recorded a maximum temperature of 21.7 degrees Celsius, 9.6 degrees below normal, on Friday — the coldest March day since March 8, 2020, when the mercury dropped to 21.2 degrees Celsius.

The minimum temperature on Friday was 16 degrees Celsius, 0.5 degrees below normal.