Sizzler of a March turns out to be the hottest in 11 years, says IMD

Delhi recorded a mean max temp of 33.1° C this month, making it the hottest March since 2010, said officials.

March this year has been the hottest in the past 11 years, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) data on mean maximum temperature has revealed.

On Wednesday, the maximum temperature recorded at the Safdarjung observatory, which is considered the official marker for the city, was 34.6 degrees Celsius. (HT Photo)

Met officials said Delhi recorded a mean maximum temperature of 33.1 degrees Celsius this month, making it the “hottest” March since 2010.

Usually, the mean maximum temperature for the month of March in Delhi is 29.6 degrees Celsius, according to the IMD.

“This is the highest mean maximum temperature in March since 2010 when it was 34.1 degrees Celsius,” said Kuldeep Srivastava, head of IMD’s regional weather forecasting centre.

On Monday, Delhi had reeled under a ”severe heat wave” -- something that it usually witnesses only by May or June-- as the maximum temperature had shot up to 40.1 degrees Celsius, nearly eight degrees above the season’s normal, making it the hottest day in March in 76 years.

The city had recorded a maximum temperature of 40.5 degrees Celsius on March 31, 1945, and 39.6 degrees Celsius on March 29, 1973, according to the IMD. The city had breathed a brief sigh of relief on Tuesday after strong winds helped keep the temperature under control.

Srivastava said such high temperatures in the month of March can be attributed to the absence of strong western disturbances.

“Only one western disturbance affected Delhi this time and the city recorded rainfall only on two days. The capital had registered 10 rain days in March last year,” Srivastava said.

The mean maximum temperature for the month of March was 28.2 degrees Celsius in 2020 and 2019.

It was 32.8 degrees Celsius in 2018; 30.7 degrees Celsius in 2017; and 31.5 degrees Celsius in 2016, according to IMD data.