<p>The sun shone bright in a cloudless blue sky in the national capital which recorded a significant drop in the mercury on Saturday due to intermittent rains over the last two days.</p>.<p>The city and its surrounding areas also recorded lowest concentrations of PM10, particulate matter 10 micrometers or less in diameter, since August 18 last year.</p>.<p>At 10 am, PM10 levels in Delhi-NCR stood at 32.5 microgram per cubic meter, the lowest since 15.9 µg/m3 recorded on August 18 last year.</p>.<p>The city's overall air quality index at 11 am stood at 40, which falls in the "good" category.</p>.<p>Environment and weather experts attributed the improvement in the air quality to the 21-day lockdown enforced to contain the spread of the coronavirus and rains and gusty winds due to successive western disturbances.</p>.<p>They said the air quality is expected to oscillate in the good or satisfactory categories due to the reduction in local sources of pollution -- vehicular pollution, construction dust, stack emissions etc -- due to the lockdown.</p>.<p>Delhi recorded a minimum of 15.7 degrees Celsius, four notches less than that recorded on Friday.</p>.<p>The Safdarjung Observatory, which provides representative figures for the national capital, recorded 5.3 mm rainfall till 8:30 am on Saturday.</p>.<p>The weather station at Palam recorded 3.2 mm rainfall.</p>.<p>The national capital has recorded 109.6 mm rainfall so far, the highest ever in March. </p>
<p>The sun shone bright in a cloudless blue sky in the national capital which recorded a significant drop in the mercury on Saturday due to intermittent rains over the last two days.</p>.<p>The city and its surrounding areas also recorded lowest concentrations of PM10, particulate matter 10 micrometers or less in diameter, since August 18 last year.</p>.<p>At 10 am, PM10 levels in Delhi-NCR stood at 32.5 microgram per cubic meter, the lowest since 15.9 µg/m3 recorded on August 18 last year.</p>.<p>The city's overall air quality index at 11 am stood at 40, which falls in the "good" category.</p>.<p>Environment and weather experts attributed the improvement in the air quality to the 21-day lockdown enforced to contain the spread of the coronavirus and rains and gusty winds due to successive western disturbances.</p>.<p>They said the air quality is expected to oscillate in the good or satisfactory categories due to the reduction in local sources of pollution -- vehicular pollution, construction dust, stack emissions etc -- due to the lockdown.</p>.<p>Delhi recorded a minimum of 15.7 degrees Celsius, four notches less than that recorded on Friday.</p>.<p>The Safdarjung Observatory, which provides representative figures for the national capital, recorded 5.3 mm rainfall till 8:30 am on Saturday.</p>.<p>The weather station at Palam recorded 3.2 mm rainfall.</p>.<p>The national capital has recorded 109.6 mm rainfall so far, the highest ever in March. </p>