5th December 2024: On December 4, Delhi finally enjoyed a breath of fresh air after 50 days of heavy pollution. The city’s air quality improved to the ‘moderate’ category, with the 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 178 at 4 pm, a significant drop from 268 the day before. The last time the AQI was in the ‘moderate’ range was on October 15.
Meteorological officials attributed the improvement to strong winds blowing through the city, which are expected to last until December 7. These winds will be followed by a western disturbance, bringing moderate fog by December 8. While most areas saw better air quality, Sri Aurobindo Marg remained in the ‘very poor’ category, and eight other stations reported ‘poor’ air quality.
Looking ahead, the Air Quality Early Warning System suggests that the air quality will remain moderate on December 5, but could worsen to ‘poor’ levels by the weekend. The clearer air also brought a slight rise in temperature, with daytime highs reaching 28°C, three degrees above normal.
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