No end to winter: March begins with coldest streak since 2003

Forecasts by the India Meteorological Department said that the minimum temperature is likely to hover around 9°C on Thursday.

An unusually cool March kept its grip on Delhi on Wednesday, with the minimum temperature remaining below 10°C for a third straight day, in what is the coldest streak for the month in 21 years.

The minimum temperature at Safdarjung was 9°C on Wednesday, four degrees below normal. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)

The minimum temperature at Safdarjung was 9°C on Wednesday, four degrees below normal, as cold northwesterly winds kept evenings much chillier than they usually are in early March. The minimum was 9°C on Tuesday as well and 9.5°C on Monday.

Cold start to March so far.

Forecasts by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that the minimum temperature is likely to hover around 9°C on Thursday as well.

Delhi last had a stretch of three days of sub-10°C minimum temperatures for the month in 2003. That year, it was 8.6°C, 8.6°C. and 9.7°C on March 5, 6 and 7 respectively, said IMD officials. Before that, Delhi had a five-day streak of such days in 1990, they added.

“This is an unusual spell, largely arising due to the recent western disturbance seen on March 2 and 3. It led to fresh snowfall in the higher reaches in northwest India and now we are seeing ice-cold winds from the mountains blowing towards the plains. This is keeping the day-time temperature in check, and it is chilly at night,” said Kuldeep Srivastava, scientist at IMD.

“As things stand, we are likely to beat the 2003 streak, with the minimum likely to hover around 9°C on Thursday too,” he added.

Across the Capital, the minimum dipped even lower in parts of the city. It was 7.6°C in northwest Delhi’s Narela and 7.8°C at southwest Delhi’s Jafarpur.

Delhi’s maximum temperature was meanwhile recorded at 23.6°C on Wednesday — four degrees below normal. It was 23.4°C on Tuesday.

IMD forecasts show northwesterly winds of 5-15 kmph are likely over the next two days too, keeping the minimum hovering between 9-10°C till Friday. The maximum could rise by a couple of degrees and is likely to oscillate between 25 and 26°C on Thursday and Friday respectively.

In terms of air quality, Delhi’s air was still ‘moderate’. The 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) stood at 138 (moderate) at 4 pm on Wednesday, the Central Pollution Control Board’s bulletin showed. In comparison, the average AQI was 126 (moderate) on Tuesday.