Parts of Delhi-NCR receive light rain, air quality remains 'very poor'

Parts of Delhi-NCR received light rain on Wednesday, but the air quality index (AQI) remained in the 'very poor' category at 392 at 10 am in the national capital, the government data for air quality showed. This marks a slight dip compared to Tuesday, when the average AQI was noted at 368, according to Central Pollution Control Board's data.

A thin layer of fog surrounded the region as the visibility hovered at 500 metres at Delhi's primary weather station, Safdarjung, and at 700 metres at Palam station at 7 am, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

"Recent radar and satellite imagery are suggesting weak convection over Delhi, with the possibility of drizzle/trace over central and north Delhi during next two hours. The amount of rainfall may not be measurable in millimetres by observatory/AWS(automatic weather station)," the IMD had predicted on Tuesday night.

The minimum temperature recorded in the national capital was 8.3 degrees Celsius.

Cold wave persists in Noida, Ghaziabad

Noida, Ghaziabad residents also woke up to pre-dawn rain showers, intensifying the cold wave conditions. The IMD said that "dense" to "very dense" fog with a cold wave situation will persist in both the cities till Friday.

The IMD's forecast for the week also suggests the fog will prevail in Delhi, with the minimum temperature below 10 degrees Celsius until the end of January. It also said the cold wave situation will continue to prevail over the North Indian states till January 27.

According to the IMD, visibility ranging up to 500 metres is defined as "shallow" fog, while visibility up to 200 metres is considered to be "moderate" fog. The air quality is likely to be in the 'very poor' category for this week. Dense fog is considered when the visibility drops up to 50 metres, while 'very dense' fog is visibility below 50 metres.