Delhi offers no respite after sunset, national capital's 3rd hot night in a row

Delhi faces oppressive heat with minimum temperatures at 31°C, high humidity, and an orange alert for thunderstorms and light rain over the weekend.

It’s not just the blazing sun but the stifling nights that are wearing people down in the Capital.

Boys cool themselves in a pond at Hazrat Nizamuddin Baoli on Friday. (Sanjeev Verma/HT Photo)

On Friday, the minimum temperature rose to 31°C—marking the third consecutive night of oppressive heat and offering little relief after the scorching days. While the daytime temperature dipped slightly on Thursday, any respite was short-lived, as the nights have only grown warmer through the week, intensifying cumulative heat stress and leaving residents with no chance to cool off.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said sustained high night-time temperatures can worsen health outcomes, particularly among the elderly, children, and people with chronic illnesses. “Humidity levels remain high, and night-time warmth is adding to the overall stress,” an IMD official said.

Daytime heat, though marginally lower on Friday, was still intense. The maximum temperature at Safdarjung, the city’s base station, dropped to 41.2°C on Friday—1.3°C above normal and down from 43.9°C on Thursday. The city’s heat index or ‘real feel’ also saw a modest decline, touching 51.5°C at 2.30pm compared to over 53°C the day before.

Several other weather stations also recorded a noticeable dip in maximum temperatures: Ridge saw a 4.9°C drop, Ayanagar 3.6°C, Lodhi Road 3.7°C, and Palam 3.3°C.

Still, the IMD issued an orange alert for Friday, upgrading its earlier yellow alert, and warned of hot and humid conditions through the day, followed by potential thunderstorm activity at night. The alert forecast very light to light rain, accompanied by lightning and gusty winds reaching 40-50 kmph, and occasionally touching 60 kmph.

IMD scientist Krishna Mishra said the weather shift was triggered by the weakening of a mid-level ridge and a low-level anti-cyclone, which have now been replaced by a trough in easterlies. “This, combined with a western disturbance, is behind the slight dip in day temperatures and the expected weather activity over the weekend,” he said.

The department expects light rain with thunderstorms and gusty winds to continue over the weekend and into the first half of next week. Maximum temperatures are likely to hover between 39-41°C on Saturday and may dip further. The minimum is expected to range from 28-30°C and gradually decline in the coming days.

Meanwhile, Delhi’s air quality remained in the ‘moderate’ category, with the 24-hour average AQI recorded at 187 on Friday, slightly lower than Thursday’s 195. According to the Air Quality Early Warning System (AQEWS), this trend is likely to continue through the weekend and into early next week.

“The air quality is likely to be in the moderate category from Saturday to Monday. The outlook for the subsequent six days is that the air quality is likely to be in the moderate category,” the AQEWS bulletin said on Friday evening.