Delhi-NCR to witness a hotter March this year

GURUGRAM: The city is likely to witness a steady rise in temperatures next week, which would reach around 34 degrees Celsius by March 13, according to the Regional Weather Forecasting Centre (RWFC). Scientists from the centre have forecast a comparatively hotter March for Delhi-NCR than last year.
The average monthly temperature (maximum) was 30.7 degrees in March last year, which has already been reached in the first week of March 2018. The mercury is likely to rise further. “The rise in mercury will happen on account of a western disturbance, which is likely to affect the northern part of the country after March 13. The advent of a western disturbance leads to cloudy skies and restrained wind movement, triggering an increase in humidity,” an RWFC official said.

In its temperature projections last month, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) had said the plains would be 1.5 degrees hotter this year. “The reason for this is that we’ve had scanty rainfall and snowfall this year in the northern parts of the country. Had there been adequate precipitation, a warmer trend might’ve been avoided,” officials said.

The approaching western disturbance is expected to cause rainfall in states like Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh. “We are unlikely to see any significant weather activity in Gurugram, Delhi or thereabouts at present,” an IMD official said. “But after March 13, there is likely to be a fresh drop in temperature, as north-westerly winds will push mercury down.”

“February was warmer than normal this year, and March too is almost at the same level, higher than the corresponding average temperature of last year. It is striking that it has touched that level in the first week of March itself, to say nothing about the temperatures by the end of the month,” the official said.

The maximum and minimum temperatures in Gurugram were recorded at 28 degrees and 13 degrees Celsius respectively on Wednesday. Both Delhi and Gurugram experienced chillier mornings on Tuesday and Wednesday.