New Delhi: Delhi woke up to clear skies and a cool morning on Wednesday, with the temperature at Safdarjung observatory, the city’s base weather station, recorded at 15 degrees Celsius at dawn. With little to no fog, haze, and visibility across the city was good.
However, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast that temperatures will rise sharply through the day, with the maximum expected to touch 30 degrees Celsius by afternoon, nearly five degrees above what is normal for this time of February. Strong surface winds during day time predicted by the weather department later in the day.
What to Expect Through the Day
As per IMD’s Tuesday bulletin, skies will remain largely clear throughout Wednesday. Strong Surface winds of 15 to 25 kilometres per hour are likely to pick up from late morning and continue into the afternoon, which could lead to some dusty conditions in parts of Delhi-NCR including Noida, Gurugram, Faridabad, and Ghaziabad.
Humidity levels are expected to hover around 40 to 45 percent, keeping the air dry. There is no forecast of rain or cloud cover for the day.
By evening, winds will ease and temperatures will begin to dip. The night is expected to remain mild, with minimum temperatures settling around 16 to 18 degrees Celsius once again.
Week Ahead: It Only Gets Hotter
Thursday, February 26, will see similar conditions, clear skies, dry air, and windy spells during the day. A western disturbance is likely to become active over the western Himalayan region around this time, but IMD says its impact will be limited to the hills. Delhi will not see any rainfall or significant cloud cover as a result.
From Friday, February 27, temperatures are expected to climb further. IMD has forecast that maximum temperatures across northwest India, including Delhi, will rise by 2 to 3 degrees Celsius over the next four days, with readings running 3 to 5 degrees above normal.
By Saturday, March 1, the maximum temperature in Delhi could reach 32 degrees Celsius.
IMD has noted that no significant relief is in sight for at least the next seven days. Residents, especially those who work outdoors, are advised to stay hydrated and avoid direct sun exposure during peak afternoon hours between 12 noon and 4 PM.
AQI Today
As per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), air quality levels across Delhi remained largely in the poor to very poor category at 7 am on Wednesday. Anand Vihar recorded a very poor AQI of 347, while Chandni Chowk reported a reading of 274 in the poor category.
The AQI at IGI Airport (T3) stood at 241, also in the poor range. IIT Delhi recorded comparatively better air quality with an AQI of 172, falling in the moderate category. Other areas including ITO and RK Puram recorded poor air quality with AQI levels of 284 and 262 respectively, while Wazirpur was close to the very poor mark with a reading of 297.
