Minimum temperature rises to 19.5°C, highest for Delhi in last 14 years

The IMD has forecast a dip in maximum temperature from Thursday, owing to scattered light rain and overcast skies in the city.

Weather stations in Delhi recorded an average minimum temperature of 19.5°C on Thursday, seven degrees above normal and the highest for the city in February in at least 14 years, data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) available since 2011 showed. The minimum was 15.4°C on Wednesday.

Tourists out on a warm day at Kartavya Path in New Delhi on Wednesday. (Sanchit Khanna/ HT Photo)

Nights have become fairly warm owing to a prevailing western disturbance that is causing overcast conditions and bringing warmer easterly winds to the city. The IMD has forecast chances of light rain in Delhi on both Thursday and Friday.

Data shows the highest minimum in February last year was 14.7°C, recorded on February 20. In 2023, it was 16.1°C (February 21). It was 15°C (February 23) in 2022 and 17.8°C (February 27) in 2021.

The highest minimum in the last decade before Thursday was 19°C, recorded on February 25, 2015.

On Wednesday, Delhi’s maximum temperature crossed 30°C for the first time this season. Safdarjung, representative of Delhi’s weather, recorded a maximum of 32.4°C, six degrees above normal, also making it the hottest day in February in two years. The last time Delhi had a higher maximum in February was on February 21, 2023, at 33.6°C.

The IMD has forecast a dip in maximum temperature from Thursday, owing to scattered light rain and overcast skies in the city.

“The rise in minimum temperature is due to warmer easterly winds 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,” senior IMD scientist RK Jenamani said, adding that these warmer easterly winds are also making the days warm, thus leading to a high maximum.

Meanwhile, Delhi’s air quality remained in the ‘poor’ category, with wind speeds remaining low in the region. The average Air Quality Index (AQI) was 260 (poor) on Thursday at 9 am, as compared to a reading of 247 (poor) at 4 pm on Wednesday.

Forecasts by the Centre’s Early Warning System (EWS) for Delhi show the AQI should stay in the ‘poor’ range on Thursday too, but may improve to ‘moderate’ on Friday.

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.’