After Heavy January Rain, Delhi Records Cleanest Air Since October

A spell of rain followed by strong surface winds brought much-needed relief to Delhi's polluted air, pushing the city into its cleanest air phase in nearly three months.

According to official data, the Capital witnessed a sharp drop in pollution levels on Saturday, a day after recording its highest single-day January rainfall in three years.

AQI Drops to 'Moderate' After Months

Fast-moving winds helped disperse accumulated pollutants, leading to a dramatic improvement in the city's air quality. The 24-hour average Air Quality Index stood at 192 at 4 pm on Saturday, a significant improvement of nearly 100 points compared to Friday's reading of 282, which fell under the 'poor' category.

The situation continued to improve as the day progressed, with AQI readings falling to 184 by 5 pm, 165 by 8 pm and further to 163 by 10 pm. This marked the first 'moderate' air quality day in Delhi since October 13, 2025, when the AQI had been recorded at 189.

As per the Central Pollution Control Board, AQI values between 101 and 200 are classified as 'moderate', while readings between 201 and 300 fall under the 'poor' category.

Forecast Warns of Pollution Levels Rising Again

Despite the temporary improvement, experts have cautioned that the relief may not last long. The Air Quality Early Warning System issued a forecast on Saturday evening indicating a possible deterioration in air quality over the coming days.

"The air quality is likely to be in the 'poor' category Sunday. The air quality is likely to be in the 'very poor' category on Monday. The air quality is likely to be in the 'poor' category on Tuesday. The outlook for the subsequent six days is that the air quality is likely to be in the 'poor' to 'very poor' category," the bulletin stated.

Explaining the sudden improvement, Mahesh Palawat, vice president at Skymet, said, "The wind speed, as had been predicted, remained high and was consistently around 18-20kmph, which led to the dramatic improvement in the air quality. The wind speed is expected to remain high for at least another day."

Cold Returns as Temperatures Dip Sharply

Along with cleaner air, Delhi also experienced a noticeable dip in temperatures on Saturday. The minimum temperature dropped to 7.6°C, which was marginally above normal but a steep fall from Friday's minimum of 13.7°C due to the clearing of cloud cover.

The maximum temperature was recorded at 18.2°C, remaining below normal but higher than Friday's maximum of 16°C. According to forecasts, minimum temperatures are expected to hover between 4°C and 6°C on Sunday before rising to around 8°C to 10°C by Tuesday.

IMD Issues Yellow Alert for Rain and Thunderstorms

The India Meteorological Department has issued a yellow alert for Tuesday, warning of another spell of unsettled weather. An IMD official said, "Generally cloudy skies will persist on Tuesday, with possible one or two spells of light rain accompanied with lightning, thunderstorm and gusty winds of speed 30-40 kmph likely during early morning to forenoon hours. Another spell of very light to light rain may occur towards afternoon or evening."

Friday's rainfall, caused by a western disturbance, measured 19.8 mm across Delhi, making it the wettest single January day in three years. The last time the city recorded higher rainfall in January was on January 30, 2023, when 20.3 mm was logged.

Palawat added that the upcoming rain spell is linked to another western disturbance but may be less intense. "The rain expected on Tuesday is due to the influence of a second western disturbance. However, the intensity of this one is expected to be slightly lower."

As per IMD projections, maximum temperatures are likely to remain between 18°C and 20°C on Sunday and rise slightly to 19°C to 21°C on Monday.