Delhi records warmest morning in 2 years amid monsoon delay

Delhi recorded its warmest morning in two years on Sunday, with the minimum temperature settling at 31.1 degrees Celsius, 3.2 notches above the seasonal average, while the maximum climbed to 41.8 degrees Celsius amid a delay in the arrival of the southwest monsoon, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). 

The last time the city’s minimum temperature was higher was on June 14, 2024, when it was recorded at 33.3 degrees Celsius. According to the weather office, a heatwave has been realised over Delhi, and the ‘feels-like’ temperature was around 48 to 53 degrees Celsius. Relative humidity was recorded at 44 per cent at 5.30 pm. The heat index, also called the apparent temperature or “feels like” temperature, is a single figure that tells you how hot the weather feels to a human being. It blends two ingredients: the air temperature and the relative humidity. Relative humidity is simply how full of moisture the air is. Picture the air as a sponge. Relative humidity tells you what fraction of that sponge is already soaked.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the last time the city’s minimum temperature was higher was on June 14, 2024, when it was recorded at 33.3 degrees Celsius. The weather office said a heatwave has been realised over Delhi, and the maximum temperature at 5.30 pm was around 50.7 degrees Celsius. The maximum temperature at Safdarjung, the city’s base station, was 41.8 degrees Celsius, 4.6 notches above normal. The minimum temperature was 31.1 degrees Celsius, the IMD said. 

Other weather stations also recorded high maximum temperatures, with Palam at 42 degrees Celsius, Lodhi Road at 42.1 degrees Celsius, Ridge at 42.6 degrees Celsius and Ayanagar at 41.8 degrees Celsius. The minimum temperature remained above normal across all five IMD observatories in the city. 

The minimum temperature in Palam recorded 30 degrees Celsius, followed by 30.2 degrees Celsius at Lodhi Road, 28.7 degrees Celsius at Ridge and 29 degrees Celsius at Ayanagar. The departures from the seasonal average ranged from 1.4 degrees Celsius at Ayanagar to 3.2 degrees Celsius each at Safdarjung and Lodhi Road.

Relative humidity was recorded at 44 per cent at 5.30 pm. The result is sticky heat, not dry heat, and sticky heat is far harder for the body to shed.
Weather forecasting agency Skymet said the delay in the onset of the monsoon and the interaction of dry and moist winds have kept both temperatures and humidity unusually high. “Normally, the monsoon reaches Delhi around June 27-28, after which temperatures begin to ease and humidity increases. This year, however, the monsoon is likely to be delayed by about a week. Dry westerly winds from Pakistan are keeping temperatures high, while southwesterly winds from the Arabian Sea are also reaching Delhi and increasing humidity,” said Mahesh Palawat, vice president (meteorology and climate change), Skymet.

“When these dry and moist air masses interact, clouds do form, but there is not enough moisture for widespread rainfall. By the time cloud formation takes place, usually around 4 or 5 pm, the day’s maximum temperature has already been recorded. That is why both the maximum temperature and the ‘feel-like’ temperature have remained unusually high,” he said. Palawat said the monsoon is expected to advance into east Uttar Pradesh by June 30 or July 1, reach Uttarakhand around July 2 or 3, and arrive in Delhi around July 4 if conditions remain favourable.

“We are also expecting a small cyclonic circulation to develop over the next few days, which could trigger isolated spells of rain,” he added.
The IMD forecasts thunderstorms with rain on Monday, with maximum and minimum temperatures expected to settle at 41 degrees Celsius. The air quality was recorded in the ‘moderate’ category, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 162, according to the Sameer app