Delhi temperature summer woes Mercury likely to touch 38° Celsius by Monday: IMD

Temperatures in the national capital, which has seen a consistently warmer-than-usual March, are set to rise over the weekend and mercury is likely to touch 38 degrees Celsius by Monday, according to weather forecast by scientists at the India Meteorological Department (IMD)

Temperatures in the national capital, which has seen a consistently warmer-than-usual March, are set to rise over the weekend and mercury is likely to touch 38 degrees Celsius by Monday, according to weather forecast by scientists at the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The spike in temperature is expected as the Capital has seen clear skies in recent days, allowing direct sunlight to hit the land surface, officials added. (Photo by Sakib Ali /Hindustan Times)

The spike in temperature is expected as the Capital has seen clear skies in recent days, allowing direct sunlight to hit the land surface, officials added.

Kuldeep Srivastava, head of IMD’s regional weather forecasting centre, said on Friday, “The mercury levels will be on a rising trend till March 29. It is likely to be one of the warmest Holi that the city has ever seen, but the comparison would be a little difficult because the festival falls on different dates.”

However, there will be partial relief from the heat soon after, with temperatures expected to fall from March 30. “There is a forecast of strong winds on March 30 and March 31; this will help bring down the temperature again. From Tuesday, the maximum temperature is expected to be around 31-32 degrees Celsius again,” said Srivastava.

On Friday, the Safdarjung weather station, which is considered the official marker for the Capital city, recorded a maximum temperature of 32 degrees Celsius, normal for this time of the year. The minimum temperature was 16 degrees Celsius, a notch below normal.

March had largely recorded above normal temperatures, before the city’s residents heaved a sigh of relief this week as light rain coupled with strong winds brought down mercury.

IMD officials said on Friday that temperatures for this month are likely to be at least 3-4 degrees higher than normal. The mean maximum temperature (MMT), which is the mean of the average maximum temperatures recorded in a particular month over the years, for March is normally 29.6 degrees Celsius. This time, it may touch 32°C.

The highest single-day temperature to ever be recorded in March was in 1945, when the mercury levels crossed the 40°C mark.

Meanwhile, the city’s air quality continued to remain in the “moderate” zone for the second consecutive day on Friday, likely driven by strong winds that allow for dispersal of pollutants.

Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) recordings show that the overall air quality index (AQI) of Delhi on Friday was 150. On Thursday, the average AQI was 148, also in the “moderate” zone. The IMD has forecast that AQI levels are likely to remain this in the category through the weekend before a minor deterioration on Monday.