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Rain to bring a breath of fresh air to New Delhi, northern India

Rain to bring a breath of fresh air to New Delhi, northern India

Dangerous levels of air pollution have stifled New Delhi and neighboring parts of northern India and Pakistan in recent weeks.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) has wavered between "very unhealthy" and "hazardous" in the National Capital Region (NCR) over the past seven days, but beneficial changes are on the way.

The AQI scale is a six-tier scale used to monitor levels of health concern associated with air pollution which ranges from good to hazardous.

For those suffering from the pollutants, some good news is on the way in the form of an approaching storm system.

The storm tracked into northern Pakistan and northern India on through early Friday and unload a substantial amount of rain through the region.

The arrival of this rainfall will help to filter pollutants out of the air and improve air quality for several days.

India smog Nov 10

Indian commuters wait for transport amid thick blanket of smog on the outskirts of New Delhi, India, on Friday 10 November 2017. As air pollution peaked this week in Delhi, it rose to more than 30 times the World Health Organization's recommended safe level. Experts have compared it to smoking a couple of packs of cigarettes a day. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Several rounds of rain are forecast from through Friday across New Delhi and the NCR with heavy rainfall expected farther north.

As of Friday morning, parts of Jummu and Kashmir had seen around 125 mm (4.9 inches) of rainfall, including the city of Banihal, which is the AccuWeather Local StormMax™ for the storm.

More widespread rainfall amounts of 25-75 mm (1-3 inches) were found across the region.

Rainfall of this magnitude can result in flash flooding, mudslides and significant travel disruptions.

Locally heavy rainfall may trigger flooding problems from east of Islamabad into Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

The rain will be largely beneficial across the NCR as it improves air quality with limited risk for flooding and travel disruptions.

Locations across northern Pakistan, including Islamabad and Lahore will also see improved air quality as rain dampens the region through Friday.

The additional moisture may also produce foggy conditions for some, especially near the mountains.

The Srinagar airport in Jammur and Kashmir reported on Thursday that the six days of fog was thick enough to cause flight cancellations.

Snow will be possible in the higher elevations from Jammu and Kashmir to northern Uttarakhand and could lead to additional travel disruptions.

The return of dry weather from this weekend into the middle of next week will allow pollutants to build up in the atmosphere.

Air quality will quickly worsen and return to dangerous levels by early next week.

Another storm may then target northern India late next week or next weekend, bringing another chance for rainfall and improved air quality.

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