New Delhi, Jan 1 (UNI) Drizzle was recorded in parts of Delhi-NCR on Thursday morning as residents headed to offices on the first working day of the new year.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), very light rain occurred at isolated locations in Delhi during the early hours.
Trace rainfall in Palam improved visibility at the airport, where only shallow fog was observed. Visibility stood at 500 metres both at Palam and Safdarjung, compared with 50 metres a day earlier when very dense fog prevailed. More showers are likely to occur in parts of Delhi at forenoon and afternoon, according to IMD forecast.
At 9:05 am, Delhi’s air quality improved very slightly from the previous day’s (373) 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI), recording an AQI of 371.
Experts attributed the persistent wind currents and mild rains to keeping the AQI at stable levels on Thursday.
“Easterly winds prevailed with wind speed up to 17 kmph in the past 24 hours over Delhi,” according to a 9:30 a.m. press bulletin from IMD.
Cloudy skies covered Delhi on Thursday and are likely to persist through Friday, with conditions expected to improve over the weekend, according to the Meteorological Department.
Meanwhile, the city’s minimum temperature rose by 4.2 degrees Celsius to 10.6 degrees, nearly four degrees above normal. Despite the rise in the minimum, maximum temperatures are expected to remain significantly below normal, between 14 and 16 degrees Celsius, prolonging cold day conditions in the national capital.
Cold day conditions are declared when maximum temperatures remain between 4.5 and 6.5 degrees Celsius below normal.
