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.

Published on: Feb 17, 2026, 07:34:39 IST

By Jasjeev Gandhiok

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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.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jasjeev Gandhiok
Jasjeev Gandhiok is an Assistant Editor with Hindustan Times, where he covers environment, climate change, the clean energy transition and wildlife at the National Bureau. Gandhiok has over a decade of experience in journalism and is based in Delhi. He has reported extensively on Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR). This includes the region's air pollution woes, a polluted Yamuna and on urban wildlife still thriving in the region. He joined HT in October 2021. Prior to that, he had five-year stint at The Times of India in Delhi, where he also covered Delhi, with a focus on environment and wildlife. Gandhiok has covered some recent events around the Capital too, ranging from the farmers' protests, the northeast Delhi riots and the CAA-NRC protests, reporting from the ground on all of these. He also travels across the country to report on how environment and climate change impact everyday life, while also writing on endangered species. His reports in 2019 on toxic leachate from Delhi's landfills led to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) taking suo motu cognisance and ultimately asking the state government to start bio-mining to flatten and remove all three landfills in the capital. He also closely tracks the implementation of government policies on climate, renewable energy and environmental protection. His focus remains on impactful, public-interest journalism which explains how environmental decisions affect people's everyday lives.Read More

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