Delhi Pollution: Friday rain improves air quality, AQI at 264, max temp falls by 11 degrees

Delhi Pollution: Delhi and NCR woke up to less polluted air on Saturday. Friday’s rain and strong winds significantly improved the air quality in the region. The overall AQI was recorded at 282, still in the poor category but better than severe. Cold wave conditions returned in parts of North India, including Delhi, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh.

Edited By: Joy Pillai

Published: January 24, 2026, 9:07 AM IST

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Delhi Pollution: Friday rain improves air quality, AQI at 264, max temp falls by 11 degrees

Delhi Pollution: Residents of Delhi and the adjoining National Capital Region (NCR) woke up to less polluted air and a chilly morning on Saturday as the year’s first rain flushed out the smog on Friday. Light showers throughout the day led to a drop of nearly 11 degrees Celsius. The capital city also witnessed the wettest January day in the last two years. Before the rain, the overall AQI of the capital city was hovering between severe and very poor categories. However, Delhi’s 24-hour average AQI stood at 282, still in the poor category but better than severe. Cold wave conditions returned in parts of North India including Punjab, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh.

#WATCH | Delhi | Air quality improves slightly in the Mayur Vihar area as Delhi received a fresh spell of rainfall. pic.twitter.com/NWtVMI1ZXb

— ANI (@ANI) January 24, 2026

Delhi Pollution: AQI Update

As per Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data, the overall AQI of the capital city was recorded at 264, in the ‘poor’ category. This was a major improvement from Thursday’s 322 (Very Poor). The last time Delhi witnessed AQI in the ‘Poor’ category was on January 12.

Delhi Weather

Rain and strong winds on Friday significantly improved the air quality in the capital city and NCR. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), a drop of up to 5 degrees Celsius in minimum temperatures is expected in Delhi over the next 24 hours. A similar dip is expected in parts of northwest India till Sunday.

The capital is expected to have a cloudy sky today, with shallow fog in the morning and winds reaching 10–20 kmph.

Also Read: Delhi Pollution: Air quality improves as rain lashes Delhi-NCR on Basant Panchami, temperature likely to drop — Check IMD forecast

Cold Wave

Cold wave conditions returned in parts of North India, including Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. According to Skymet reports, conditions in Srinagar are expected to improve today after heavy snowfall on Friday that led to flight cancellations.

The minimum temperature in several states is expected to drop by 5 to 5 degrees Celsius.

Another intense western disturbance is expected to affect northwest India from January 26 to 28, due to which isolated heavy rainfall or snowfall is very likely over the Western Himalayan region on January 27.

Rain Warning

According to the Chennai Regional Meteorological Centre, parts of Tamil Nadu are expected to witness light to moderate rainfall till January 26.