Chandigarh, Nov. 11 -- The city's air quality remained in the moderate category for the second consecutive day on Tuesday, following a spike to the very poor level on Diwali night. The air quality index (AQI) had climbed to 326 at the Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station (CAAQMS) in Sector 25 around Diwali midnight, while the readings at the Sector 22 and Sector 53 stations had remained in the moderate category. The city's AQI, calculated as the average of readings from all three monitoring stations, had returned to the moderate category by Monday. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the city's AQI stood at 160 at 7 pm on Monday. At the same time on Tuesday, it was recorded at 141, indicating a marginal improvement, although it remained in the same category. The station-wise readings at 7 pm on Tuesday were 189 in Sector 25, 144 in Sector 22 and 91 in Sector 53. An AQI of 0-50 is classified as good, 51-100 as satisfactory, 101-200 as moderate, 201-300 as poor, 301-400 as very poor and 401-500 as severe. Most monitoring stations had recorded satisfactory or moderate readings in the week preceding Diwali. UT director of environment and Chandigarh Pollution Control Committee member secretary Saurabh Kumar attributed the improvement to prevailing weather conditions. "Due to prevalent weather conditions, the air quality has improved significantly. If similar conditions persist, the AQI may fall into the satisfactory category, below 100, soon. We are also hopeful of some November rain in the city to further cleanse the air," he said. Meanwhile, the minimum temperature dropped to 13.5degC on Tuesday, the lowest recorded this season so far, from 14.6degC on Monday. However, it remained within the normal range. The maximum temperature, meanwhile, rose from 31.4degC on Monday to 32.3degC on Tuesday, four degrees above normal. A Western Disturbance (WD) is likely to affect the region on Wednesday and Thursday, although its impact is expected to be more pronounced over northern Punjab. Rain is unlikely inChandigarh. Over the next three days, the maximum temperature is expected to remain between 30degC and 31degC, while the minimum is likely to hover between 14degC and 15degC....