Partly cloudy skies and a maximum temperature of 27 degrees Celsius is on the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast for Delhi on Friday.
The minimum temperature recorded in the early hours of Friday was 9.7 degrees Celsius. At 8.30 am, the temperature rose to 11.2 degrees Celsius, while the relative humidity was 92 per cent.
On Thursday, the maximum temperature recorded was 27 degrees, three degrees above the normal.
Strong surface winds of about 25 to 35 kmph are on the forecast for Delhi, Haryana, Chandigarh and Uttar Pradesh over the weekend.
Over the next six days, the maximum temperature is likely to range from 26 to 28 degrees, while the minimum temperature could be between 10 and 12 degrees, going by the IMD forecast. Windy days are on the forecast for next week as well, with strong surface winds predicted on February 22 and 23.
The air quality is likely to improve and be in the ‘moderate’ category on Friday and Saturday, according to the Air Quality Early Warning System forecast issued on Thursday. Strong winds are expected to help disperse pollutants.
On Thursday, the AQI was 241, in the ‘poor’ category. The AQI has remained in the ‘poor’ category from February 13 onwards. AQI between 201 and 300 is considered ‘poor’, while a figure between 101 and 200 is categorised as ‘moderate’.
At several monitoring stations, the air quality was in the ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’ category on Friday morning. The 24-hour average AQI at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium was 249, while it was 299 at Jahangirpuri. On Thursday, the monitoring stations that recorded ‘very poor’ air quality were Anand Vihar, NSIT Dwarka, Jahangirpuri, Narela, and Nehru Nagar.
Of the 1,553 air pollution-related complaints made by the public and Central Pollution Control Board teams between October 15 and February 15, 1,057 or 69 per cent were considered to be resolved by the agencies concerned, including the municipal corporations, the Delhi Development Authority and the Delhi Traffic Police.