New Delhi, November 21: The air quality in Delhi entered the 'very poor' category on Saturday, as per System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR-India). The central government's warning system for Delhi said Delhi-NCR air quality is likely to remain in the "poor" to "moderate" category on Saturday. On Friday, the air quality in the national capital was recorded in the 'poor' category while central government agencies said it is likely to improve marginally due to favourable wind speed. The predominant surface wind direction is likely to be west-northwesterly and the maximum wind speed 15 kmph on Saturday. Delhi Air Quality: Why Does Air Pollution Rises And Air Quality Start Dipping in National Capital During Winters?

On Friday, the city's 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) was 296 while it was 283 on Thursday, 211 on Wednesday and 171 on Tuesday. The AQI between zero and 50 is considered "good", 51 and 100 "satisfactory", 101 and 200 "moderate", 201 and 300 "poor", 301 and 400 "very poor", and 401 and 500 "severe".

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The minimum temperature in the national capital settled at 7.5 degrees Celsius on Friday – the lowest in the month of November in 14 years, according to IMD. The weather agency said that a minimum temperature in Delhi will drop to 7 degrees Celsius by Monday, as cold winds have started blowing from hilly regions, which have witnessed a fresh bout of snowfall. La Nina in India: Country to Witness More Cyclones, Relatively Colder Winter This Year, Says IMD.

SAFAR said that stubble burning accounted for 15 percent of Delhi's PM2.5 pollution on Friday. It was 20 per cent on Thursday, eight per cent on Wednesday and three per cent on Tuesday. It added that "energetic" surface winds are likely to influence AQI positively in the next two days.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 21, 2020 09:15 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).