Capital set for hotter days as mercury climbs to 30.9°C

Delhi is set to experience hotter days in the upcoming week as the influence of a western disturbance over the plains weakens, with the city recording a maximum temperature of 30.9 degrees Celsius on Monday, 3.5 degrees Celsius above normal.

The minimum temperature settled at 15.1 degrees Celsius, which was 1.7 degrees Celsius above normal, according to official data.

Day and night temperatures are likely to rise gradually over the next few days by about 2 to 3 degrees Celsius above normal, Mahesh Palawat, vice president, meteorology and climate change, Skymet, said.

“The expected rise is attributed to clear skies and bright sunshine prevailing over the city. Any western disturbance during this period is likely to remain confined to the hilly regions and is not expected to impact the plains, leading to a steady increase in heat conditions in the national Capital,” he said.

Among the five stations here, Ayanagar recorded the highest maximum temperature at 31.1 degrees Celsius, which was 4.0 degrees Celsius above normal.

It was followed by Safdarjung at 30.9 degrees Celsius (3.5 degrees above normal), Ridge at 30.7 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees above normal), Lodi Road at 30.2 degrees Celsius (3.2 degrees above normal) and Palam at 29.1 degrees Celsius (2.1 degrees Celsius above normal).

For minimum temperatures, Ridge recorded the highest at 15.8 degrees Celsius, 1.7 degrees above normal, followed by Ayanagar at 15.6 degrees Celsius (2.6 degrees above normal), Palam at 15.3 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees above normal).

Safdarjung recorded 15.1 degrees Celsius (1.7 degrees above normal), and Lodi Road at 14.8 degrees Celsius, which was 2.8 degrees above normal.

The city saw its hottest start to March in three years, with the maximum temperature on March 1 touching 30.7 degrees Celsius. The last time a higher temperature was recorded on March 1 was in 2023, when the maximum temperature reached 31.2 degrees Celsius. Humidity levels stood at 74 per cent at 8.30 am and 38 per cent at 5.30 pm.

On the air quality front, the 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 193, falling in the ‘moderate’ category. The data on the Sameer app of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) showed that 27 stations were in the ‘moderate’ category, 15 stations in the ‘poor’ category and one station in the ‘very poor’ category in the evening hours. The worst AQI was recorded at Punjabi Bagh at 343, which falls in the ‘very poor’ category. The Air Quality Early Warning System has forecast that the air quality is likely to remain in the ‘moderate’ category till March 5.

In the morning hours, the AQI at 9 am stood at 176, in the ‘moderate’ category. At that time, air quality was ‘poor’ at seven stations, ‘moderate’ at 35 stations, and ‘very poor’ at one station.