People in Delhi woke up to severe cold with a minimum temperature of 7 degrees Celsius on Thursday morning. According to the Meteorological Department of India (IMD), the national capital will have partly cloudy skies and could see light rain in the evening.
Air Quality Index remains in very poor category
Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) reported AQI 370 in "very poor" categoy at 6 am on Thursday morning.
Earlier, Delhi's minimum temperature on Wednesday settled at 8.4 degrees Celsius, 1.5 notch below the season's average, as the city's air quality remained "very poor" on Christmas, officials said.
Delhi's 24-hour Air Quality Index (AQI), recorded at 4 pm, was in the "very poor" category with a reading of 336.
The national capital recorded a maximum temperature of 22.4 degrees Celsius, two notches above normal.
Delhi's air quality remained in the "very poor" category for the second consecutive day, after previously being in the "severe" category, according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
An AQI between zero and 50 is considered "good", 51 and 100 "satisfactory", 101 and 200 "moderate", 201 and 300 "poor", 301 and 400 "very poor", and 401 and 500 "severe". The humidity levels oscillated between 67 per cent and 100 per cent.
The weatherman has forecast that dense fog conditions are likely to prevail in the late night and early morning hours in Delhi on the December 25, 26, and 28.
It also predicted partly cloudy skies with the possibility of very light to light rain towards evening or night.
The predominant surface wind is expected to be from the northeast direction, with speeds less than 4 km/h during the morning hours. Smog and moderate fog are likely in most areas, with dense fog in isolated places in the morning.
Wind speeds will increase later and will travel at less than 8 kmph from the north-northwest direction during the afternoon. They will decrease again, dropping to less than 4 kmph from the north direction during the evening and night. Smog and shallow fog are expected in the evening and night, it said.
(With PTI inputs)