Delhi freezes as cold wave intensifies: Temperature dips to 3°C, dense fog persists; AQI remains in ‘very poor’ category

NEW DELHI: Delhi woke up to a chilly Tuesday morning with the mercury dipping to 3°C, as a cold wave and dense fog continued to grip the city. Air quality remained a concern, with the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded in the “very poor” category.According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Delhi’s AQI stood at 337 as of 8 am.Several parts of Delhi continued to record AQI levels above 300, indicating very poor air quality. According to CPCB data till 8 am, Nehru Nagar recorded 358, Jahangirpuri 357, Anand Vihar 411, and RK Puram 365. Patparganj registered 366, Wazirpur 375, Vivek Vihar 366, Siri Fort 342, Rohini 397, Okhla Phase 2 296, Chandni Chowk 380, and Dwarka Sector 8 384.As per AQI classification, a reading between 0 and 50 is 'good', 51 to 100 'satisfactory', 101 to 200 'moderate', 201 to 300 'poor', 301 to 400 'very poor' and 401 to 500 'severe'.A day earlier, New Delhi shivered under an intense cold spell as temperatures plummeted across the national capital. Ayanagar recorded the lowest minimum at 2.9°C, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).Several areas experienced cold wave conditions on Sunday night, with temperatures nearing the three-degree mark. Palam recorded 3.0°C, its lowest in several years. IMD data indicates that similar cold conditions are likely to continue throughout the day.At Safdarjung, the minimum temperature was 4.8°C on Sunday night and is expected to fall further to around 3°C tonight. The Ridge station recorded a minimum of 3.7°C, with a maximum temperature of 18.8°C.(With agency inputs)