At 32.4°C, Capital sees year’s hottest day so far

The uncharacteristically warm day saw the maximum temperature at Safdarjung, the base weather station, being recorded at 32.4°C — six degrees above normal for this time of the year.

Delhi became abruptly warm on Wednesday as temperatures shot up by at least three degrees, with the maximum breaching the 30°C-mark for the first time this year. However, the day temperature is likely to dip again from Thursday due to scattered light rain and overcast skies, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Tourist enjoy a pleasant and clear day at India Gate in New Delhi. (Sanjeev Verma/ HT Photo)

The uncharacteristically warm day saw the maximum temperature at Safdarjung, the base weather station, being recorded at 32.4°C — six degrees above normal for this time of the year. This was the hottest February day in two years, data showed. The last time Delhi had a higher maximum in February was 33.6°C on February 21, 2023. A day ago, the maximum stood at 29.1°C.

Prior to Wednesday, the highest maximum this year was 29.7°C on February 11. After 2023, the hottest February day was recorded in 2021 (33.2°C on February 26). The all-time high is 34.1°C on February 26, 2006.

Meanwhile, the night too was fairly warm — the minimum was recorded at 15.4°C, which was three degrees above normal. This was the highest for February in two years as well. The last time the minimum was higher in February was 16.1°C on February 21, 2023. Last year, the highest February minimum was 14.7°C on February 20.

IMD has forecast nights to get warmer, with overcast skies expected to lead to a minimum between 17-19°C on Thursday, it said.

“The rise in minimum temperature is due to warmer easterly and moisture incursion due to the influence of an active western disturbance which is approaching the region. We should see above normal minimum temperature till Friday,” said RK Jenamani, senior scientist, IMD, adding these warmer easterly winds were also making days warm, thus leading to a high maximum.

Among all stations, Pitampura was the hottest station in Delhi on Wednesday, with the maximum temperature touching 32.6°C and the minimum temperature reaching 18.8°C.

IMD has forecast strong winds of 20-30 km/hr on both Thursday and Friday, with scattered light rain expected in the city.

Meanwhile, the air quality worsened but remained in the “poor” category, with wind speeds remaining low in the region. The average Air Quality Index (AQI) was 247 on Wednesday as compared to 208 a day earlier.

Forecasts by the Centre’s Early Warning System (EWS) for Delhi shows AQI is likely stay in the “poor” range on Thursday too, but may improve to “moderate” on Friday, following rainfall.

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) classifies AQI between 0 and 50 as ‘good,’ between 51 and 100 as ‘satisfactory,’ between 101 and 200 as ‘moderate,’ between 201 and 300 as ‘poor,’ between 301 and 400 as ‘very poor,’ and over 400 as ‘severe.’