Shallow fog cut visibility to 500 metres at Safdarjung and 800 metres at Palam, the base for IGI Airport, early on Saturday, a day after record-low October daytime temperatures and heavy rain in the capital.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported the readings at 6:30 a.m.
According to IMD METAR data at 0100 UTC (0630 IST) on October 31, visibility at Safdarjung, the city's base weather station, was 500 metres, down from 4,000 metres at the same time on Friday.
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At Palam it was 800 metres, also down from 4,000 metres. Both stations reported shallow fog.
How Long It Has Lasted
Visibility at Safdarjung has been steady since 2:30 a.m. IST, and at Palam since 5:00 a.m. IST. The IMD classifies fog by visibility: shallow fog is 999 to 500 metres, moderate fog 499 to 200 metres, dense fog 199 to 50 metres, and very dense fog below 50 metres.
Safdarjung's 500 metres sits at the lower edge of the shallow band, so a small further drop would take it into moderate fog.
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Fog After Rain
The fog follows an unusual interaction between Cyclone Arnab and a western disturbance, which brought heavy rain and thunderstorms to the capital on Friday.
The rain washed pollutants out of the air. Delhi's AQI was 60 in the Central Pollution Control Board's 4 p.m. bulletin on Friday, its cleanest October day in four years. It rose to 95 at 6 a.m.on Saturday, still "satisfactory" but a sign of some deterioration.
The Hindustan Times, reported that PM2.5 was the main pollutant at 17 of 58 reporting stations on Saturday morning, and PM10 at four.
Delhi's average AQI for the first 30 days of October was 167, putting the city on course for its cleanest October since the CPCB began daily bulletins in 2015.
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Record Cold Day
The rain also brought a sharp fall in daytime temperatures. Safdarjung recorded a maximum of 20.7°C on Friday, 10.3 degrees below normal and the lowest October maximum in records going back to 1951.
The station received 61.4 mm of rain in the 24 hours to 8:30 a.m. on Friday, the sixth-highest 24-hour October total since 1951.
Forecast
The IMD has forecast mainly clear skies on Saturday, with the maximum temperature between 25°C and 27°C and the minimum between 15°C and 17°C.
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