After 5.6°C, Delhi mercury levels set to rise

The maximum temperature on Tuesday was 25.4°C, which was three degrees above normal and up from 23.6°C recorded a day before. The maximum is likely to remain in the 24-26°C range until the weekend

New Delhi

Clear skies at Lodhi Garden. (Sanjeev Verma/HT Photo)

Cold northwesterly winds and clear skies led to a dip in the minimum temperature to 5.6 degrees Celsius (°C) on Tuesday, which was three degrees below normal and a dip from 7.2°C recorded a day before. However, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasted two back-to-back western disturbances to bring in warm easterly winds from Wednesday, which are likely to lead to a rise in minimum and maximum temperatures.

The maximum temperature on Tuesday was 25.4°C, which was three degrees above normal and up from 23.6°C recorded a day before. The maximum is likely to remain in the 24-26°C range until the weekend. The minimum is expected to cross 10°C by the weekend, IMD said.

“A western disturbance is expected to impact the region, leading to a change in wind direction to south-easterly from Wednesday onwards. By the weekend, the minimum will be between 10-12°C,” an IMD official said.

Mahesh Palawat, vice president at Skymet said temperature, particularly the minimum, dips when skies are clear and the wind direction is northwesterly. “We had both factors impacting the minimum on Tuesday, but two western disturbances, one on January 29 and a second on February 1, will lead to winds slowing down, cloudiness and easterly winds, factors which lead to a rise in temperature,” he said.

IMD also said there are also chances of light rain in the city on February 1. “The spell of rain will not significantly impact the temperature,” he added.

Delhi recorded an air quality index of 276 (“poor”) on Tuesday, according to the Central Pollution Control Board’s daily bulletin.“Delhi’s air quality is likely to be in the ‘very poor’ category from January 29 till January 31, 2025. In the subsequent six days, it will be between ‘poor’ and ‘very poor’,” the Early Warning System for Delhi (EWS) said in its daily bulletin.