Delhi's air quality dips to moderate level as temperatures climb this weekend

Delhi residents woke to a modest improvement in air quality on Saturday, with the AQI dropping to 185 at 9 a.m., which places the city in the moderate bracket under the Central Pollution Control Board's scale. Earlier in the week the capital had recorded AQI values of 230 and 244, and several stations continue to show readings above 200, still labeled as poor. The India Meteorological Department issued a weather outlook predicting partly cloudy conditions, daytime highs of 32 °C and nighttime lows of 18-20 °C, and a slight temperature rise of 1-3 °C over the next three days before a similar decline.

The department also warned of isolated thunderstorms with lightning and winds of 30-40 km/h on October 24-25, though no rain is expected in Delhi itself. Meanwhile, the Air Quality Early Warning System expects the city to remain in the poor category through October 26. Heavy to very heavy rain is forecast for parts of southern India, including Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.