People from the Muslim community gather amid fog on the occasion of Eid Al-Fitr at Jama Masjid on Saturday (March 21). Photo: PTI
Delhi sees rare March chill, fog as air quality turns ‘satisfactory’
City records coldest day in March in six years and cleanest air in five months; light rain and thunderstorms likely to return early next week
New Delhi, Mar 21 (PTI) Delhi woke up in a shroud of fog in an unlikely event as chilly winds kept the temperature low on Saturday, a day after the city recorded its coldest March day in six years and the cleanest air day in five months.
The air quality index (AQI) stood at 94 (satisfactory) at 8 am. Air quality improved dramatically on Friday with an AQI of 93.
Friday marked the first 'satisfactory' air day in about five months. The last time the city recorded the same air quality was on October 9, 2025, when the AQI stood at 99.
The air quality is likely to be in the 'moderate' category from Saturday to March 23, according to the Air Quality Early Warning System.
According to CPCB standards, an AQI of 0-50 is considered 'good', 51-100 'satisfactory', 101-200 'moderate', 201-300 'poor', 301-400 'very poor', and 401-500 'severe'.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the minimum temperature on Saturday is expected to be around 14 degrees Celsius and the maximum 27 degrees Celsius.
No rain was recorded in the morning, unlike Friday, when the city recorded 7 mm of precipitation.
The city's average rainfall for the month is 16.2 mm, making it the wettest March since 2023, when the average stood at 50.4 mm.
According to forecasts, very light rain is expected to return to Delhi on Monday, with the possibility of thunderstorms and lightning caused by an active western disturbance.
The Safdarjung station recorded a maximum temperature of 21.7 degrees Celsius, 9.6 degrees below normal, on Friday – the coldest March day since March 8, 2020, when the mercury dropped to 21.2 degrees Celsius.
The minimum temperature on Friday was 16 degrees Celsius, 0.5 degrees below normal. PTI