Delhi logs warmest January day in six years

The maximum temperature was six degrees above the normal and much higher than the maximum of 20.7°C recorded a day earlier

Delhi on Sunday woke up to a summer-like day, with bright sunshine and minimal mist, clocking a six-year high maximum temperature of 26.1 degrees Celsius (°C) in January as a prevailing western disturbance in the Himalayan region led to a sharp spike in temperatures.

Clear skies above Lodhi Gardens. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)

The maximum temperature was six degrees above the normal and much higher than the maximum of 20.7°C recorded a day earlier.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the last time the maximum temperature was higher was on January 21, 2019, when it was 28.7°C. A second western disturbance is expected to influence the region from January 22, likely bringing isolated light rain in the city on the same day, the IMD said in its forecast, adding that it would raise the maximum temperature further.

Weather experts, meanwhile, said severe winter in the Capital was all but over, with consecutive western disturbances not allowing a sustained dip in the temperature.

“We have been recording western disturbance this January, which have brought rain to the plains and snowfall across the mountains. However, the gap between the western disturbances has been very short, meaning the wind direction is not consistently staying northwesterly, which brings the chill from the mountains towards the plains. On Sunday, we also had minimal impact of fog and clear skies, which, coupled with a variable wind direction, led to a rise in temperature locally,” said Mahesh Palawat, vice president at Skymet.

Palawat said that while a marginal dip in temperature is likely in the last week of January, extreme cold was all but over.

The lowest maximum temperature recorded so far this season is 4.5°C, on December 12, 2024. The lowest maximum was 14.6°C, recorded on December 27, 2024.

On Sunday, the highest maximum across the city was 26.8°C, at Pitampura, while the lowest maximum was 23.2°C, at Palam, making for a warmer-than-usual day across the entire city.

Delhi’s minimum temperature was 9.2°C, two degrees above normal. It was as high as 12.1°C at Pitampura, making for a warmer-than-usual night too.

IMD has forecast marginal moisture intrusion over the next 48 hours, likely to lead to shallow to moderate fog and no significant change in the maximum and minimum temperatures.

“As some moisture begins to get fed, we may see shallow to moderate fog during the early hours of the day, with mostly clear skies during the day, leading to a maximum between 25°C and 26°C on Monday and Tuesday too,” an IMD official said.

A drop in the maximum temperature to around 22°C is likely by Wednesday, with chances of light rain in the city that day. “The minimum will also rise marginally as the moisture content increases, hovering between 10°C and 12°C till Wednesday,” the official said.

The Capital recorded shallow to moderate fog on Sunday. The IMD said the lowest visibility at the Safdarjung observatory was 200 metres, which was recorded for 30 minutes between 7am and 7.30am, before visibility began to improve. The lowest visibility at the Palam observatory was 600 metres, between 6am and 8.30am.

No colour-coded alert is in place till January 25 now, the IMD said.