New Delhi: Delhi's air quality remained lodged in the poor category for the third straight day on Thursday morning, though the overall air quality index (AQI) slipped further to 285, just below the 301 threshold that pushes conditions into the very poor bracket, data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) showed.

As of 7 a.m., at least ten monitoring stations across the city registered AQI levels above 300, placing them in the very poor range.

Noida's overall AQI was recorded at 294 (Poor), and sector-wise AQI ranged from 246 to 331, while Greater Noida's Knowledge Parks 3 and 5 recorded AQI levels of 235 and 331, respectively.

The city's 24-hour average AQI on Wednesday stood at 259, showing a slight improvement from Tuesday's reading of 282. After nine consecutive days of air quality dipping into the very poor zone, the capital recorded some relief on Tuesday, and due to stronger daytime winds on Wednesday, conditions managed to remain within the poor category for the second day in a row.

CPCB classifications state that an AQI between 0 and 50 is tagged as good, 51–100 satisfactory, 101–200 moderate, 201–300 poor, 301–400 very poor, and 401–500 severe.

Alongside air quality fluctuations, temperatures in the city also showed a mild dip. Delhi recorded a minimum of 10 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, around 0.4 degrees below the seasonal average, while the day's maximum settled at 25.2 degrees Celsius, also about 0.4 degrees below normal.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that minimum temperatures across northwest India, including Delhi and its adjoining NCR cities such as Noida, Gurugram and Faridabad, are likely to remain steady for the next two days before rising by 2 to 4 degrees Celsius over the following three days and stabilising afterwards.

For Thursday, the IMD has predicted partly foggy conditions, with the minimum temperature expected to hover near 8 degrees Celsius and the maximum around 24 degrees Celsius.