India, Dec. 3 -- Delhi's air quality stayed in 'very poor' category on Wednesday morning with a rolling average AQI of 376 at 8am, up from 372 the previous day, as calm winds followed a sharp rise on Tuesday. At 14 of 40 monitoring stations, AQI exceeded 400 in the 'severe' zone, peaking at 436 in Nehru Nagar.

The city also woke up to a chilly morning with minimum temperature at 6.4degC, 3.1degC below normal. It was 5.7degC on Monday, five degrees below normal, as December began on an unusually cold note.

The deterioration followed a brief respite on Sunday, when AQI fell below 300, ending a 24-day streak from November 6 to 29 when levels stayed at or above 300 daily.

Forecasts indicate AQI unlikely to reach 'severe' soon, with winds e...