Delhi saw an unusually warm February day on Monday, with temperatures reaching 31.6°C, marking the earliest such level in five years. Light rain expected midweek will provide temporary relief.
Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 31.6°C on Monday, seven degrees above the seasonal average. This is the earliest the temperature has crossed 30°C in February in five years, with the previous instance occurring on February 11, 2021, at 30.4°C.
Weather forecasts indicate another warm day on Tuesday, with clear skies and bright sunshine keeping the maximum between 29-31°C. Marginal relief is expected from Wednesday, as a fresh western disturbance brings very light rain and gusty winds up to 40 km/hr.
An IMD official stated, "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." The official added that despite chances of scattered light rain on Wednesday, the maximum is likely to stay around 26-28°C, before gradually rising again over the weekend.
Mahesh Palawat, vice president at Skymet, noted, "This western disturbance is also fairly weak and so it will not do much in cooling the region. The dip will be temporary."
The average maximum temperature in Delhi from February 1-15 was 25°C, 1.9°C above the long-period average. Temperatures have risen by nearly 6°C since February 12, when it was 25.4°C, followed by 26.3°C on February 13, 27°C on February 14, and 28.5°C on February 15.
Comparatively, the first half of February last year averaged 25.6°C, while 2023 and 2021 saw 25.8°C. It was cooler at 22°C in 2024 and 22.8°C in 2022. Monday's minimum temperature was 10.1°C, a degree below normal. It is expected to hover between 12-14°C on Tuesday and 13-15°C till Wednesday.
Forecasts suggest the maximum will rise to 27-29°C by Friday and touch 30°C again by Sunday.
