Mumbai weather: City wakes up to cool morning, air quality remains moderate

Mumbai woke up on Friday to an unusually cool and pleasant morning offering residents a brief respite from the cityrsquos typically warm and humid conditionsMinimum temperatures dropped below 22 degrees Celsius giving early risers clear skies light winds and a mild winterlike nip rarely felt in the city during this time of yearHowever the refreshing weather came with a stark contrast A thin but persistent layer of smog hung over the skyline reducing visibility and dulling the otherwise tranquil morning Despite the gentle breeze pollution levels remained elevated continuing a trend seen throughout the monthAccording to the India Meteorological Department IMD clear skies are expected to prevail through the day with maximum temperatures likely to rise to around 34 degrees Celsius by the afternoonData from the IMD observatories highlighted distinct variations across the city In Colaba the minimum temperature was recorded at 224 degrees Celsius with relative humidity touching 64 per cent Meanwhile the Santacruz observatory registered a much cooler minimum of 174 degrees Celsius and humidity levels around 60 per cent reflecting the typical microclimatic differences between South Mumbai and the suburbsMumbairsquos overall Air Quality Index AQI reached 143 on Friday morning placing it in the ldquomoderaterdquo category This reflects a significant deterioration from earlier this month when the city recorded moderate air quality Several localitiesmdashparticularly industrial belts and densely populated areasmdashreported even higher pollution levels underscoring the cityrsquos ongoing environmental challengesMeanwhile Delhis air quality improved slightly on Friday morning with the overall Air Quality Index AQI at 370 at 8 am according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board CPCBThe city had recorded an AQI of 391 at 4 pm on November 20 Despite the slight improvement the citys air quality continued to remain in the very poor categoryAccording to CPCB data IGI Airport T3 recorded an AQI of 307 while ITO recorded 378 The Air Quality Index at Punjabi Bagh stood at 379Other areas such as Najafgarh 350 North Campus DU 385 Aya Nagar 340 and CRRI Mathura Road 370 also continued to experience very poor air qualityHowever air quality in some parts of the National Capital was in the severe category Anand Vihar recorded an AQI of 418 while Ashok Vihar reported 411 Rohini and RK Puram registered an AQI of 424 and 401 respectivelyAccording to AQI categorisation 050 is good 51100 satisfactory 101200 moderate 201300 poor 301400 very poor and 401500 severe