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The chill is gone: Delhi temperature hits its earliest 30°C in 5 years, light rain expected on Wednesday
This marks the earliest crossing of 30°C in February in five years. A slight cooldown is expected midweek with light rain and gusty winds.
The Capital saw an unusually warm February day on Monday as the temperature crossed 30°C for the first time this season.
Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 31.6°C on Monday, seven degrees above the seasonal average. According to data, this is the earliest the temperature has crossed 30°C in February in five years. The last time it happened earlier than February 16 was in 2021, when it touched 30.4°C on February 11.
Weather forecasts show that another warm day is likely on Tuesday, with clear skies and bright sunshine likely to keep the maximum between 29-31°C. Marginal relief is likely from Wednesday as a fresh western disturbance likely to bring very light rain and gusty winds of up to 40 km/hr on Wednesday, according to weather forecasts.
HT had reported on February 15 that Delhi stayed warmer than usual through the first half of February, with the average maximum temperature between February 1-15 at 25°C, which is 1.9°C above the long-period average for this time of the year.
Delhi’s maximum temperature has risen by nearly 6°C since February 12, when it was recorded 25.4°C. The maximum temperature was 26.3°C on February 13; 27°C on February 14; and 28.5°C on February 15.
“Mercury is on the rise as we have not seen any significant rain or enough moisture to lead to cloudiness. In the absence of that, we are witnessing clear skies and bright sunshine,” said an IMD official, adding that despite chances of scattered light rain on Wednesday, the maximum was likely to stay around 26-28°C, before gradually rising again over the weekend.
Forecasts show that the maximum temperature is likely to rise and hover around 27-29°C by Friday, further touching 30°C again by Sunday. “This western disturbance is also fairly weak and so it will not do much in cooling the region. The dip will be temporary,” said Mahesh Palawat, vice president at Skymet.
While February so far has been warmer than usual, data shows the first half was warmer last year — averaging a maximum temperature of 25.6°C. It was even warmer in 2023 and 2021 — at 25.8°C. In comparison, it was 22°C in the first half of February 2024 and 22.8°C in 2022, data showed.
Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 10.1°C on Monday, which was a degree below normal for this time of the year. Forecasts show it is likely to hover between 12-14°C on Tuesday and 13-15°C till Wednesday.
