Delhi’s brief winter spell appears to be fading fast. On Monday, the Capital recorded a maximum temperature of 31.6 C, seven degrees above the seasonal average, marking the first time this year that the mercury crossed 30 C. According to available data, this is the earliest the 30 C mark has been breached in February in five years. The last earlier instance dates to 2021, when the temperature touched 30.4 C on February 11.
The sharp rise continues to a warming trend seen through the first half of the month. Between February 1 and 15, the average maximum temperature stood at 25 C, which is 1.9 C above the long-period average for this period. Since February 12, when the maximum was 25.4 C, temperatures have climbed steadily to 26.3 C on February 13, 27 C on February 14 and 28.5 C on February 15, culminating in Monday’s spike.
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Clear skies behind the heat surge
Officials attributed the rise to prolonged dry conditions. “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,” Hindustan Times quoted an India Meteorological Department (IMD) official as saying.
Tuesday is expected to remain warm, with the maximum likely to stay between 29 C and 31 C under clear skies.
Light rain likely, but relief may be brief
Some marginal respite is forecast from Wednesday as a fresh western disturbance is expected to bring very light rain and gusty winds of up to 40 km/hr. Despite the change in conditions, the maximum temperature is likely to remain around 26-28 C before gradually rising again toward the weekend.
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Mahesh Palawat, vice president at Skymet, said, “This western disturbance is also fairly weak, and so it will not do much in cooling the region. The dip will be temporary.” Forecasts indicate that the maximum may hover between 27-29 C by Friday and touch 30 C again by Sunday.
Meanwhile, the minimum temperature stood at 10.1 C on Monday, a degree below normal. It is expected to range between 12-14 C on Tuesday and 13-15 C through Wednesday.
