Overview

• Delhi’s 24-hour average AQI dropped to 88 on Friday, breaking a 21-day stretch of moderate-or-worse readings.
• Meteorologists attributed the improvement to showers and steady 15 km/h winds that limited pollutant buildup following celebrations.
• DPCC data recorded short-lived PM2.5 spikes Thursday night, with Anand Vihar rising to 96 µg/m³ at 9 pm before falling to 41 µg/m³ by 11 pm, and similar patterns at Punjabi Bagh, RK Puram and Ashok Vihar.
• The IMD expects a strong western disturbance over northwest India from October 4–8, with light rain in Delhi on October 5 and light to moderate rain on October 6–7.
• In Chandigarh, Sector 53 rose to an AQI of 129 around 9 pm as nearby stations stayed in the satisfactory range, and forecasts point to rain with possible thunderstorms and hail from October 5.