Chandigarh, Dec. 21 -- Chandigarh faced a worsening spell of air pollution and winter chill on Saturday, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) soaring to 302 - the highest since Diwali on October 21 - even as dense fog continued for the fourth consecutive day.

The foggy conditions also dragged the day temperature down to 18.3degC, 2.3 degrees below normal and the coldest recorded so far this season. While current conditions are expected to persist over the weekend, the fog spell is likely to intensify further from December 24 onwards, potentially leading to colder conditions.

As per the daily bulletin released by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Chandigarh's AQI climbed sharply from 254 to 302 over the past 24 hours, entering the ...