Foggy Delhi morning gives way to clear skies on R-Day, maximum temperature 20.6 deg C

A foggy morning gave way to clear skies in the national capital on Republic Day with the mercury reaching a high of 20.6 degrees Celsius, weather officials said on Friday.

Delhi was engulfed by dense fog in the morning with the minimum temperature settling at 4.7 degrees Celsius, four notches below the season's average, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in its bulletin.

The maximum temperature was recorded a notch below the normal. The humidity levels oscillated between 62 per cent and 100 per cent, the bulletin showed.

According to the weather office, the Indira Gandhi Airport and the Safdarjung airport reported dense fog with visibility of 100 metres and 300 metres respectively at 8.30 am.

For Saturday, the IMD has forecast a partly cloudy sky and moderate fog in the morning, with the maximum and minimum temperatures likely hovering around 20 and 5 degrees Celsius, respectively.

The 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 4 pm on Friday was 409, which stands in the 'severe' category.

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'.

Delhi on Thursday recorded a minimum temperature of 4.8 degrees Celsius, three notches below the season's normal, and a maximum temperature of 20.5 degrees Celsius.