Delhi's air quality 'very poor'; rains likely from January 5-8

New Delhi: Delhi on Monday recorded an air quality index (AQI) of 389, which falls in the "very poor" category, but rains expected in the next couple of days are likely to bring some improvement. The AQI of neighbouring areas of Ghaziabad (366), Gurugram (355), Noida (346), and Faridabad (340) was also recorded in the very poor category.

At 295, Greater Noida recorded an AQI in the poor category. Delhi's 24-hour AQI at 4 pm stood at 389. In the morning, the air quality of the national capital was recorded at 387 (very poor). The government's air quality forecast agency SAFAR said the AQI will continue to remain very poor on Tuesday.

"High winds and intermittent rains are likely during January 5 to January 8 that are expected to improve AQI significantly to 'lower end of very poor' through strong dispersion and wet deposition. Mixing layer height continues to be about 1 km," it said.

The maximum temperature in Delhi on Monday was recorded at 21.5 degrees Celsius, two notches above the season's average.

The minimum temperature settled at 5.4 degrees Celsius, two notches below the season's average.

Humidity levels oscillated between 97 per cent and 43 per cent.

The weather office has forecast partly cloudy sky with shallow fog for Tuesday morning. The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to hover around 22 and 7 degrees Celsius, respectively.