Min temp rises, city may get warmer from Feb 15

New Delhi: The city saw a warm and sunny Wednesday with a spike in the minimum temperature. However, strong surface winds prevented the maximum temperature from rising.
The air quality index receded a little, while staying in the poor range.
The minimum temperature was 11.6 degrees Celsius, a notch above normal, and warmer than 9.8 degrees the previous day. At 14.9 degrees Celsius, Pitampura recorded the highest minimum temperature.
Meanwhile, the maximum temperature dipped due to strong surface winds. The city on Wednesday experienced cool northwesterly winds, which reached up to 16 km/h during the morning hours and 24 km/h during the afternoon.
The city on Wednesday saw a three-degree drop in the maximum temperature. The maximum temperature was recorded at 26.5 degrees Celsius, three notches above normal compared to 29.7 degrees Celsius the previous day.
The weather department expects the maximum and minimum temperatures to remain almost the same on Thursday. The wind speed, however, is likely to drop, and direction is expected to change from Feb 15 onwards, after which the temperatures may rise further.
The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to hover around 25-27 and 9-11 degrees Celsius, respectively.
According to the IITM's forecast, the city on Thursday will see a mainly clear sky, with strong surface winds up to 20-30 km/h during the day. The predominant surface wind is likely to come in from the northwest direction, with a wind speed of less than 12 km/h during the morning.
The wind speed will gradually increase thereafter, becoming 18-20 km/h from the northwest direction during the afternoon. It will decrease, becoming less than 12 km/h during the evening and night on Thursday.
The city's air quality was 214 at 3 pm, and further improved by late evening.
The air quality index (AQI) was 212 in the poor zone, compared to 293 the previous day.