Delhi, February 5: The air quality in Delhi witnessed an improvement on Saturday as the Air Quality Index in the national capital turned to the 'moderate' category with AQI touching 132, according to the latest updates by the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR).

“The AQI in Delhi on Saturday was in ‘Moderate’ category and improved significantly compared to Friday's 'very poor' air quality due to rain and gusty winds that washed out particulate matter in the air. A few spells of light rain are likely on Saturday improving AQI further but remaining within ‘Moderate’ category. From Sunday onwards, relatively calm surface winds are likely and air quality gradually degrades back to ‘Poor’ and then to ‘very poor’ as the rate of accumulation of pollutants is likely to be more than that of ventilation", according to a statement by SAFAR.  Weather Forecast: Delhi, Adjoining Areas Wake Up To Rain; Yellow Alert for Heavy Snowfall Issued in Higher Areas of Himachal Pradesh

Meanwhile, a thick layer of fog engulfed Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and parts of North India on Saturday morning, resulting in extremely reduced visibility. Visuals from Firzo Shah road, Rajpath, and India Gate surfaced on the internet which shows a thick layer of fog in the city.

The minimum temperature in the capital was recorded at 6 degrees Celsius on Saturday morning, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. As per IMD's prediction, the minimum temperature in Delhi from 6th to 10th Feb will range between 8 to 9 degrees Celsius. The national capital is expected to receive rain and thunderstorm on 9th February.  Weather Forecast: Wet Spell Over Northwest, Northeast, and East India; Snowfall Over Western Himalayan Region

According to IMD, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and Parts of western Uttar Pradesh are expected to remain cold for the next two days.

On February 03, Delhi recorded the coldest day in February in the last 19 years. However, today (February 05), the maximum temperature in the national capital rose to 19 degrees Celsius.

“By Sunday, the maximum will rise to around 21 or 22 degrees. On Saturday, it is expected to be between 18 and 19 degrees Celsius. We are closely monitoring the impact of this western disturbance, and the possibility of fog in the coming days,” IMD scientist RK Jenamani said.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 05, 2022 09:27 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).