Delhi sees season’s hottest night; temperature may soar to 38°C today

Forecasts suggest a further rise in temperatures until Wednesday, with a possible dip after March 11 due to a western disturbances.

Unseasonably warm days and nights persisted in Delhi on Monday, with temperatures remaining several degrees above normal for early March. The minimum temperature rose to 19°C – five degrees above normal and the highest so far this season – while the maximum reached 35.3°C, seven notches above normal, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The Met department has forecast that the minimum temperature is likely to remain between 18-20°C on Tuesday and between 17-19°C on Wednesday. (HT file photo)

According to IMD forecasts a further rise in temperatures is likely till Wednesday, when the mercury may soar to as high as 36-38°C. However, a western disturbance towards the end of the week may provide marginal relief. Even then, day and night temperatures will remain above normal for this time of the year, weather officials said.

By Saturday, the temperature may fall by one or two degrees when the influence of the western disturbance reaches the area. “A western disturbance has started impacting the western Himalayan region and after March 11, it will impact the plains too. The maximum temperature may dip marginally after March 11,” said an IMD official, asking not to be named.

Mahesh Palawat, vice-president at Skymet, said Delhi saw partially cloudy skies on Monday due to moisture brought in by south-westerly winds. “The winds from the south-west brought moisture from the Arabian Sea. Locally, wind speeds dipped a little, so we had both moisture and dust in the air,” he said, adding that winds are likely to pick up after Wednesday due to the approaching western disturbance.

“Its impact will be limited in the plains. No rain is likely here, and so no significant dip in temperature will take place,” he said.

The Met department has forecast that the minimum temperature is likely to remain between 18-20°C on Tuesday and between 17-19°C on Wednesday. A marginal dip of a degree or two may take place after that till the weekend, but they will still remain above normal.

IMD data also shows the maximum may soar to between 38-39°C by the end of March, even inching to 40°C. The all-time high for the month of March was 40.6°C, which came on March 31, 1945.

In the past 15 years, the highest maximum for March has been 40.1°C, on March 30, 2021. The highest maximum last March was 38.9°C (March 26), and 37.8°C in 2024 (March 29).

AQI still poor

Pollution-wise, too, Delhi did not fare much better, as the air quality index (AQI) continued to remain ‘poor’. The 24-hour average AQI was 209 (poor) at 4pm on Monday, according to the Central Pollution Control Board. It was 247 (poor) at the same time on Sunday, CPCB data showed.

The CPCB classifies an AQI between 0-50 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”.

Forecasts by the Centre’s Air Quality Early Warning System (EWS) for Delhi show the AQI is likely to oscillate between ‘poor’ and ‘moderate’ in the coming days. “Delhi’s air quality is likely to be in the ‘poor’ category on March 10, but in the ‘moderate’ category on March 11 and 12,” said the EWS in its daily bulletin on Monday. Delhi’s AQI tends to remain between moderate and poor in the summer months, due to high dust pollution and elevated ozone levels.