Minimum mercury surges past 20°C mark, IMD forecasts light rain on Saturday

Delhi experiences warm nights as minimum temperature crosses 20°C for the first time this year. Rain expected to bring relief from high temperatures.

The Capital’s minimum temperature surpassed the 20-degree Celsius mark for the first time this year on Thursday as summer continued to make inroads in northern India, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

A woman drinks water on a hot afternoon at India Gate on Thursday afternoon. (Sanjeev Verma/HT Photo)

At 21.2 degrees Celsius (°C), the minimum was three degrees above normal and the highest so far this year. IMD has forecast light rain in Delhi on both Friday and Saturday, which may bring down the maximum by 1-2°C. However, warm nights are likely to persist, with the minimum remaining above 20°C till the end of the month, it added.

Some parts of the city recorded a maximum temperature of 38°C. Safdarjung, which is the base station for Delhi’s weather, recorded a maximum of 37°C, which was four degrees above normal. The maximum was 37°C on Wednesday, too, and 34.6°C on Tuesday. Delhi’s maximum temperature has now been above normal since Monday when it was 32.6°C.

The highest maximum was recorded at east Delhi’s Sports Complex (Akshardham) weather station, where it touched 38.1°C. This was followed by 37.9°C at Pitampura in northwest Delhi.

“The impact of the prevailing western disturbance will become more prominent on Friday and Saturday when light rain is expected. There is currently a rise in temperature in most parts of the country primarily due to clear skies. A gradual temperature rise is normal for this time of the year,” said an IMD official.

The rain is forecast to bring the maximum down to 35°C by Saturday again, which might drop to 34°C by Monday, IMD said. Delhi’s minimum will likely rise further, touching 22°C by Saturday, making the nights even warmer.

“The minimum has risen by nearly six degrees since Monday, when it was 15.8°C. The minimum was 19.4°C on Wednesday. “The minimum can rise even further and touch 22°C over the weekend due to cloud cover,” the official added.

So far in March, Delhi has recorded 4.3mm of rainfall. The normal monthly rainfall in March is 17.4mm.

Meanwhile, the 24-hour average air quality index continued to remain “moderate” with a reading of 160 at 4pm, according to the Central Pollution Control Board’s national bulletin. It was marginally worse on Wednesday at 177 (moderate).