Delhi AQI remains 'Very Poor'; IMD issues yellow alert for thunderstorms

New Delhi [India], February 1 (ANI): The air quality in the national capital remained in the 'very poor category' on Sunday morning, with the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 318 around 8 am, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert for the national capital, warning that isolated areas may experience thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds of 30-40 kmph. Similar conditions are expected across neighbouring Haryana and Chandigarh. In Haryana, Karnal experienced a hailstorm early in the day.
The IMD stated that the rainfall signalled the beginning of an active weather phase, with thunderstorms, lightning, gusty winds, and hail likely to affect several states during the day. Light rain lashed several parts of the city and adjoining NCR areas in the early morning hours.
The maximum temperature is likely to range between 17-19°C, while the minimum temperature may remain around 10-12°C.
Thunderstorms with lightning and gusty winds (30-40 kmph) are likely to continue through the afternoon and night.
Residents woke up to wet weather and light to moderate fog. Despite the rain, the Air Quality Index (AQI) remained in the 'Very Poor' category.
Air quality levels in major cities across India remain varied, with Ahmedabad recording an AQI of 171, followed by Pune at 161 and Lucknow at 156. Patna (121) and Jaipur (118) also reported moderate air quality levels. Meanwhile, Mumbai registered an AQI of 104, while Bengaluru (96), Chennai (92), and Hyderabad (95) remained in the satisfactory range, according to the CPCB.
On Saturday, the air quality in the national capital remained in the 'poor category', with the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) at 271 around 7 am, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
Several monitoring stations across the city reported AQI levels in the poor-to-very poor range. Ashok Vihar stood at 309. Bawana reported an AQI of 271, Burari 246, and Chandni Chowk 285. Dwarka Sector 8 registered 329 and ITO 279, while Mundka and Wazirpur recorded 331 each. Okhla Phase-2 logged an AQI of 323, Rohini 312, Punjabi Bagh 318, and RK Puram 322. Lower readings were recorded in Narela (232) and Alipur (227), according to the CPCB.
As per AQI classification, a reading between 0 and 50 is 'good', 51 to 100 'satisfactory', 101 to 200 'moderate', 201 to 300 'poor', 301 to 400 'very poor' and 401 to 500 'severe'.Meanwhile, several airports across north and central India witnessed varying fog conditions today, with very dense to shallow fog reported between 0600 hrs and 0630 hrs IST, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
The IMD data showed very dense fog, with visibility dropping below 50 metres, at multiple locations. Ambala in Haryana and Agra, Bareilly, Saifai and Hindon in Uttar Pradesh, along with Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh, reported zero visibility, categorising them under very dense fog conditions.
In the dense fog category, where visibility ranged from 50 metres to 200 metres, Varanasi and Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh recorded 50 metres, while Prayagraj reported 100 metres.
Moderate fog was observed at Jorhat in Assam, with visibility at 200 metres, and at Bagdogra in West Bengal, with visibility at 400 metres.
Meanwhile, several airports reported shallow fog, with visibility between 500 metres and 1,000 metres. Adampur in Punjab recorded visibility of 500 metres; Bhatinda reported 600 metres; and Halwara in Punjab and Gaya in Bihar registered 800 metres each. (ANI)