Pleasant morning in Delhi, minimum temperature 24.3 degrees Celsius

New Delhi: It was a pleasant Saturday morning in Delhi with the minimum temperature settling at 24.3 degrees Celsius, four notches below the season's average, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

The relative humidity at 8:30 am was recorded at 58 per cent, it added. The weather office predicted partly cloudy skies for the day with the maximum temperature expected to hover around 40 degrees Celsius. On Friday, the maximum temperature in the national capital settled at 39.4 degrees Celsius, a notch below the average temperature, and the minimum settled at 23.2 degrees Celsius, five notches below normal.

Private weather forecasting agency Skymet said temperatures are expected to drop from June 27. "Due to westerly dry and hot winds with clear skies in Delhi, maximum temperature may cross 40 degrees once again. Temperatures are expected to drop from June 27 with thunderstorm and light rain," vice-president (climate change and meteorology) of Skymet Weather Mahesh Palawat said.

The air quality index (AQI) was recorded in the 'poor' category (217) around 9 am, data from the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR) showed. An AQI between zero and 50 is considered 'good', 51 and 100 'satisfactory', 101 and 200 'moderate', 201 and 300 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', and 401 and 500 'severe'.