Drizzle in parts of Delhi; IMD: Max to remain low

Parts of the Capital experienced a drizzle on Sunday evening owing to a western disturbance influencing northwest India, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), which added that winds of up to 40km/hour swept through some areas on a gusty day and pushed temperatures down.
Delhi’s maximum temperature dropped to 29.8 degrees Celsius (°C), two degrees below normal for this time of the year and a sharp dip from 34.1°C on Saturday.
To be sure, though IMD had on Friday forecast that strong surface winds of 25-30km/hour would bluster through the city over the weekend, the weather agency has also predicted a steady rise in daytime temperatures over the last week and predicted that the maximum would touch 35°C by Monday. However, the department on Sunday said a cloud cover will persist in the region till Tuesday and that the maximum will now hover around 32-33°C.
“Most parts of the National Capital Region (NCR) saw overcast skies and winds of up to 40km/hour during the day. This was due to a western disturbance across northwest India. Its impact is likely to be over by Monday morning, but due to moisture in the air, we will still see partially cloudy skies,” said Kuldeep Srivastava, scientist at IMD, adding that no rain was likely on Monday.
Meanwhile, Delhi’s minimum temperature was 16.9°C on Sunday, around normal for this time of the year. It was 16.2°C on Saturday.
The agency’s forecast for Monday shows the maximum is likely to be around 32°C, while the minimum should hover around 16°C.
IMD data showed that Safdarjung, Lodhi Road and the Ridge station recorded trace rainfall between 8.30am and 5.30pm on
Sunday. No rain was recorded at the other weather stations in Delhi.
Srivastava said days are likely to become warm again from Wednesday, with the maximum likely to cross 35°C and 36°C by Thursday. “As cloudiness gradually reduces, we should see clear skies once again by Wednesday and the maximum could touch 36°C by Thursday. At the same time, the minimum could rise to 19°C by Thursday,” he added.
The highest maximum recorded so far this March has been 33.6°C, which was recorded on March 20.
In March last year, the highest maximum recorded was 34.3°C on March 16. In 2022, it went up to 39.6°C on March 31 and in 2021, touched 40.1°C on March 30. In 2020, the highest maximum in March was 33.3°C (March 26) and it was 39.2°C in 2019 (March 31).
The combination of good wind speed and rain, meanwhile, helped Delhi’s air quality improve to the “moderate” zone once again. The 24-hour average air quality index reading stood at 194 (moderate) at 4pm on Sunday, according to the Central Pollution Control Board’s national bulletin. It was 232 (poor) at the same time on Saturday.