Dust-Raising Winds Sweep Delhi, Air Quality And Visibility Suffers

A partly cloudy sky and very light rain towards the evening may provide marginal relief, the IMD said.

Written by Shruti Chaturvedi May 16, 2023

Dust-Raising Winds Sweep Delhi, Air Quality And Visibility Suffers

Tuesday morning, strong winds swept through Delhi, raising dust, degrading the air, and lowering visibility to 1,000 metres, according to the India Meteorological Department.

The combination of five days of intense heat in northwest India, parched soil from a lack of rainfall, and persistently strong winds since midnight is what meteorologists believe is to blame for the dusty conditions.

In the early hours, the wind was blowing at 30-35 kmph. The head of the IMD’s regional forecasting centre, Kuldeep Srivastava, predicted that it will come down during the day, allowing the dust to settle.

“The level of dust concentration has increased repeatedly. At 4 am, the PM10 concentration was 140 micrograms per cubic metre; at 8 am, it had increased to 775 micrograms per cubic metre. The predominant strong gusty winds in the area are the main cause. Dust will soon settle, “said V K Soni, director of the Environment Monitoring and Research Center at the IMD.

Maximum temperatures in Delhi have exceeded 40 degrees Celsius for the past four days, which has made the already hot weather worse.

The IMD stated that a partly cloudy sky and very light rain in the evening may offer a small amount of relief.

The maximum temperature is predicted to rise to 44 degrees Celsius by Sunday.

Also read: Today’s Weather Forecast: Northern Region To Experience Heavy Rainfall, Lightning, Says IMD Report