The weather office has predicted strong surface winds that will help clear out pollutants in the city’s air on Saturday.

Experts said the air quality degraded to severe in Delhi-NCR due to unfavourable weather conditions, calm winds, low temperature and low mixing height and a poisonous cocktail of emissions from firecrackers, stubble burning and local sources.

The Ministry of Earth Sciences’ air quality forecast agency, SAFAR, stated that stubble burning accounted for 36 percent of Delhi’s PM2.5 on Friday, the highest in this season so far.

Delhi witnessed a cold morning on Saturday as the minimum temperature in the city was recorded at 14.7 degrees Celsius, normal for this time of the season.

The city will witness a partly cloudy sky with shallow to moderate fog in the morning and strong surface winds during the day, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Saturday.

The maximum temperature is likely to hover around 28 degrees Celsius, it said. Humidity at 8.30 am was 78 per cent, the IMD said.

Weather scientists said the fog/smog condition has improved in Delhi-NCR as forecasted.

There was shallow fog and visibility remained in the 600 to 800 metre range reported at Delhi’s two airports from 5.30 am to 9.30 am, weather office said.

“Due to westerly to northwesterly winds set in and have also reached a speed 8 to 15 kmph and some humidity reduction or moisture dry up,” it said in a statement.

(With PTI Inputs)