Live Events
Delhi breathes clean
as a Reliable and Trusted News Source Addas a Reliable and Trusted News Source Add Now!
(You can now subscribe to our
(You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel
After two days of persistant rainfall and gusty winds, Delhi NCR recorded a relieving improvement in air quality alongside an unusual dip in temperatures, registering its coldest March day in six years on Friday.Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department has predicted a partly cloudy sky for Saturday, with the maximum temperature expected to rise to 27°C and the minimum settling around 14°C, signalling the end of the recent spell of rain.According to data from Safdarjung, Delhi’s base weather station, the maximum temperature settled at 21.7°C on Friday, which is 9.6 degrees below normal. This makes it the coldest March day recorded in the city since March 8, 2020, when the maximum temperature had dropped to 21.2°C.The dip was observed uniformly across the capital.Palam recorded a maximum of 21.2°C (10.4 degrees below normal), Lodhi Road 21.0°C (9.0 degrees below normal), Ridge 21.1°C (10.7 degrees below normal), and Ayanagar 21.5°C (10.5 degrees below normal).Minimum temperatures, however, remained closer to seasonal averages.Safdarjung recorded a minimum of 16°C, marginally below normal, while Palam reported 14.7°C. Lodhi Road, Ridge, and Ayanagar recorded 15.8°C, 15.1°C, and 16°C, respectively, with only minor deviations from normal levels.The spell of rain also significantly improved the national capital's air quality, with the AQI recorded at 93, placing it in the ‘satisfactory’ category.This is the first such instance in approximately five months, with the previous occurrence recorded on October 9, 2025, when the AQI stood at 99.By Central Pollution Control Board standards, an AQI between 0–50 is classified as ‘good’, 51–100 as ‘satisfactory’, 101–200 as ‘moderate’, 201–300 as ‘poor’, 301–400 as ‘very poor’, and 401–500 as ‘severe’.Rainfall activity was recorded across multiple stations in the city.Delhi received 7 mm of rainfall during the day, taking the cumulative monthly total to 16.2 mm so far, making it the wettest March since 2023.Rainfall distribution varied through the day, with stations such as Safdarjung, Palam, Lodhi Road, Ridge, and Ayanagar recording light showers, while Mayur Vihar received comparatively higher rainfall at 2.5 mm. Other areas, including Pusa, Janakpuri, and Najafgarh, also recorded light precipitation at different intervals.Between Thursday and Friday mornings, cumulative rainfall stood at 6.6 mm at Safdarjung, 5.4 mm at Palam, 6.3 mm at Lodhi Road, 7.4 mm at Ridge, and 5.6 mm at Ayanagar.Howver, the Air Quality Early Warning System has forecast that air quality is likely to return to the ‘moderate’ category between Saturday and March 23.