Delhi logs coldest March day in six years, AQI 'satisfactory' after five months as rain lashes city

New Delhi: After days of persistent rain and gusty winds, the national capital witnessed a sharp dip in temperatures along with a spell of clean air, recording its coldest March day in six years and the cleanest air in about five months, with the AQI falling in the 'satisfactory' category on Friday.

With the maximum temperature settling at 21.7 degrees Celsius at Safdarjung, 9.6 degrees below normal, Delhi logged its coldest March day since March 8, 2020, when the mercury had dropped to 21.2 degrees Celsius.

After the rain, air quality also improved markedly, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 93, placing it in the 'satisfactory' category. This marks the first such day in about five months (161 days), with the last time the city recorded 'satisfactory' air quality on October 9, 2025, when the AQI stood at 99.

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'.

Across the city, maximum temperatures remained well below normal levels.

Palam recorded a maximum temperature of 21.2 degrees Celsius, 10.4 degrees below normal. Lodhi Road recorded 21.0 degrees Celsius, 9.0 degrees below normal, Ridge 21.1 degrees Celsius, 10.7 degrees below normal, and Ayanagar 21.5 degrees Celsius, 10.5 degrees below normal.

On the minimum temperature front, Safdarjung recorded 16 degrees Celsius, 0.5 degrees below normal. Palam logged 14.7 degrees Celsius, 1.7 degrees below normal.

Lodhi Road recorded 15.8 degrees Celsius, 0.8 degrees above normal, Ridge recorded 15.1 degrees Celsius, 2.6 degrees below normal, and Ayanagar reported 16 degrees Celsius, 0.2 degrees below normal.

The city recorded 7 mm of rainfall during the day, taking the average rainfall for the month so far to 16.2 mm till date, making it the wettest March in three years since 2023, when the average rainfall stood at 50.4 mm.

After 8.30 am on Friday, rainfall was recorded at Safdarjung at 1.4 mm, Palam at 1.4 mm, Lodhi Road at 1.2 mm, Ridge at 1.0 mm and Ayanagar at 0.8 mm. Among other stations, Mayur Vihar recorded 2.5 mm, while Pusa and Janakpuri recorded 1.0 mm each.

Between 11.30 am and 2.30 pm, Safdarjung and Lodhi Road recorded no rainfall, while Palam recorded 0.2 mm, Ridge 0.2 mm and Ayanagar 0.2 mm. Among other stations, Najafgarh and Janakpuri recorded 0.5 mm each.

Between 2.30 pm and 5.30 pm, no station recorded any rainfall.

From 8.30 am on Thursday to 8.30 am on Friday, the national capital recorded cumulative rainfall of 6.6 mm at Safdarjung, 5.4 mm at Palam, 6.3 mm at Lodhi Road, 7.4 mm at Ridge and 5.6 mm at Ayanagar.

The air quality is likely to be in the 'moderate' category from Saturday to March 23, according to the Air Quality Early Warning System.

For Saturday, the minimum temperature is expected to settle at 14 degrees Celsius and the maximum temperature at 27 degrees Celsius, with a forecast of a partly cloudy sky, bringing an end to the recent spell of rainy days.