Chandigarh, Dec. 25 -- After a week of grappling with "very poor" air quality, Chandigarh witnessed a significant improvement on Wednesday. According to the daily bulletin released by the CPCB, the city's AQI dropped to 107, falling into the moderate category. This marks the cleanest air the city has seen since a dense fog spell began last Wednesday. The recovery is a sharp contrast to Tuesday's AQI of 198 and the December 20 peak of 302-the highest recorded this month. However, the relief appears localised. Neighbouring Panchkula, however, remained gripped by "very poor" air with an AQI of 305, ranking as the fifth most polluted city in the country on Wednesday and surpassing Delhi's 271. According to IMD Chandigarh director Surender Paul, the improvement is primarily driven by the return of North-Westerly winds, which have helped clear the stagnant air. However, the reprieve may be temporary. While rain is unlikely, the subsequent temperature inversion and return of fog are expected to push the AQI back up. The maximum temperature on Wednesday settled at 22.6degC, down slightly from Tuesday's 23.5degC. The minimum temperature rose to 10.2degC, staying 3.2 degrees above normal....