Day-time temp set to rise again, clear skies ahead, says IMD

With clearer skies, days will turn warmer, while nights will continue to remain slightly chilly due to cold northwesterly winds. Minimum temperatures are likely to stay between 18°C and 21°C, officials said.

Day-time temperatures in the capital are set to rise again following the departure of an active western disturbance from northwest India, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Thursday. The mercury is expected to touch 34°C by Sunday.

IMD said the wind direction will stay northwesterly till Sunday, with an average speed of 10-15 km/hr likely. (HT Archive)

With clearer skies, days will turn warmer, while nights will continue to remain slightly chilly due to cold northwesterly winds. Minimum temperatures are likely to stay between 18°C and 21°C, officials added.

On Thursday, Safdarjung, Delhi’s base weather station, recorded a maximum temperature of 29.9°C, four degrees above normal and a jump from 26.5°C recorded a day earlier. The IMD has forecast a steady rise ahead, with it expected to hover around 31°C on Friday; between 32-33°C on Saturday and possibly up to 34°C by Sunday.

“With the western disturbance departing, there has been a reduction in moisture which will see clear skies return to the region. Days will be warmer, but cold northwesterly winds will be blowing at night-time, bringing a slight chill from snow-clad mountains,” said an IMD official, adding no significant change in the temperature is likely till Sunday.

Meanwhile, the minimum stood at 20.6°C on Thursday, which was around normal. In comparison, it was 18.1°C at the Ridge station in north Delhi and 18.4°C in Palam. The minimum is likely to oscillate between 18-21°C till Sunday.

During this period, IMD said the wind direction will stay northwesterly till Sunday, with an average speed of 10-15 km/hr likely.

Delhi’s air quality stayed in the ‘satisfactory’ range for the third consecutive day on Thursday. The 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) was 100 (satisfactory) at 4 pm on Thursday, compared to 81 (satisfactory) a day earlier. Forecasts by the Centre’s Air Quality Early Warning System (EWS) for Delhi shows AQI is likely to return to the ‘moderate’ range on Friday.