New Delhi, Feb 18 || Residents of the national capital woke up to light rain on Wednesday, a day after Delhi recorded the hottest day of the year so far, with the maximum temperature touching 30.9 degrees Celsius. The air quality also remained a concern, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 228 at 8 a.m., placing it in the ‘poor’ category.
On Tuesday, Delhi’s air quality was in the ‘poor’ category, with the AQI recorded at 259, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
As per CPCB data on Wednesday, several areas of the city reported high AQI levels. Anand Vihar recorded an AQI of 285, Ashok Vihar 264, Burari Crossing 275, Chandni Chowk 286, and DTU 249. Dwarka Sector 8 reported 187, IGI Airport (T3) remained under monitoring, while ITO recorded 180. Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium registered 187, Mundka 309, Narela 283, and Okhla Phase-2 242. Pusa recorded 152, R.K. Puram 221, Rohini 306, Shadipur 296, Sonia Vihar 294, Vivek Vihar 284, and Wazirpur 336, indicating that pollution levels remained elevated in many pockets.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted very light to light rainfall for Wednesday, accompanied by gusty winds with speeds ranging between 30 and 40 kilometres per hour during the afternoon. The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to hover around 27 degrees Celsius and 14 degrees Celsius, respectively.
Delhi has been witnessing unusual warmth for mid-February. Monday (February 16) recorded the highest temperature of the season so far, and on Tuesday (February 17) the mercury soared further to 30.9 degrees Celsius. This was around 6.5 degrees Celsius above the normal average for this time of the year, making it one of the warmest February days in recent weeks.