Despite recording a marginal improvement, the air quality in Delhi continued to remain in the "very poor" category on Wednesday.

The 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded until 4 pm on Wednesday was reported at 352, down from 373 on Tuesday, 381 on Monday, and 382 on Sunday.

However, Delhi's air quality still ranked as the third worst in the country, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), which provides hourly AQI updates.

Across India, Hanumangarh in Rajasthan recorded the worst air quality at 396, followed by Sri Ganganagar in the same state at 369, CPCB data showed.

In Delhi, five monitoring stations -- Bawana (403), Jahangirpuri (419), Mundka (417), NSIT Dwarka (440), and Wazirpur (420) -- remained in the "severe" category on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, 13 stations recorded severe AQI readings above 400.

A thick layer of toxic smog blanketed the city during the day, with mist expected to cover the city at night, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

According to AQI classifications, a score of 0-50 is considered "good", 51-100 "satisfactory", 101-200 "moderate", 201-300 "poor", 301-400 "very poor", and 401-500 "severe".

Meanwhile, Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 32.6 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, warmer than usual for this time of the year. The humidity level was 67 per cent at 5:30 pm.

The weather office has predicted shallow fog in the morning and mist till November 12.

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