Gurugram records warmest day of the year

The city experienced its warmest day of the year on Wednesday, with the minimum temperature rising to 13 degrees Celsius, up from 9

The city experienced its warmest day of the year on Wednesday, with the minimum temperature rising to 13 degrees Celsius, up from 9.4 degrees Celsius on the previous day, while the maximum temperature increased marginally to 24.5 degrees — four notches above normal.

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Warmer conditions are likely to persist till at least February 5, along with thunderstorms and rain. As per official forecasts, there is a 75% probability of 3 to 5 mm rainfall on Thursday.

Experts explained that Wednesday’s uptick in mercury was under the influence of easterly winds that are currently sweeping through Delhi-NCR. “There is a fluctuation in the wind direction which typically happens a few days before the passage of a western disturbance. Easterly winds are not as cold as westerly winds, and they have had a warming effect. It will remain warm for two to three days. Formation of rain clouds over Delhi-NCR will also trap heat,” said Kuldeep Srivastava, head of the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) regional forecasting centre in Delhi.

Chilly conditions are likely to set in once again from February 6, when the minimum temperature is expected to remain between 8 and 9 degrees Celsius, due to residual moisture in the atmosphere after rain. “This will also result in foggy mornings, which have been the norm in north India over the past couple of months. Shallow to moderate haze, fog and mist will continue for another week, but afternoons will be clearer,” Srivastava said.

The maximum temperature is expected to dip to about 21 degrees Celsius over the next two days, but will start rising rapidly after the weather system has passed. The IMD’s seven-day forecast for Gurugram predicts a maximum temperature of 26 degrees Celsius on February 9.

However, officials clarified that cold wave conditions — which occur when the minimum temperature falls to 4 degrees Celsius or below — are highly unlikely. “We are past that point of the winter. Cold wave conditions are not going to come back, as they started abating in late January,” Srivastava said.

Air quality in the city improved slightly on Wednesday but remained in the very poor category, with an air quality index (AQI) of 304, down from 324 on Tuesday. Further improvement is expected under the influence of rain and fluctuating winds, which are expected to touch speeds of 12 to 16kmph.

According to the early air quality warning system for Delhi-NCR, “Air quality is likely to improve further and crossover from lower end of very poor to poor category on 04.02.2021. The air quality is likely to remain in poor to moderate category on 05.02.2021.”