Delhi temperature may settle at around 36 degrees Celsius, says IMD

The maximum temperature recorded on Wednesday was five degrees above the normal, in keeping with the above-normal temperatures that the city has been recording for about ten days. The minimum temperature registered over the past 24 hours was 21.2 degrees Celsius, four degrees above the normal.

After a slight fall in the maximum temperature brought on by high wind speed over the past three days, the temperature is set to increase to around 38 degrees Celsius by March 30, the IMD forecast indicates. After touching 38 degrees on Sunday, the maximum temperature had fallen to around 34.6 degrees on Tuesday this week.

No significant change is likely in maximum temperatures over Northwest India during the next two days, but it is likely to rise by two to four degrees thereafter, the IMD update showed.

Heatwave conditions are on the forecast for parts of Gujarat including Saurashtra and Kutch from March 25 to 27. While a western disturbance is likely to bring rainfall or snowfall to parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh over the next 24 hours, rainfall continues to evade Delhi.

On Wednesday, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi was 206, in the ‘poor’ category. With high wind speeds, the AQI is expected to remain in the ‘moderate’ category on Thursday and Friday, and could improve further within the ‘moderate’ category or the upper end of the ‘satisfactory’ category on Saturday, according to the SAFAR forecasting system.

“Gradual increase in maximum temperature from March 26 onwards contributes to the dilution of near-surface pollutants by convection,” the SAFAR forecast said on Wednesday.