Extremely Warm Fortnight For Delhi: Mercury Unlikely To Dip
Key Takeaways:
- Persistently above-normal day temperatures have prevailed over Delhi/NCR through February, with only two days recording below-normal values.
- The average maximum temperature between February 10 and 24 reached 28.4°C, which is over 3°C above normal.
- Day temperatures are expected to exceed 30°C regularly and may approach 32°C around February 27–28.
- February 2026 may rank among the warmest in recent years, with a mean maximum temperature close to 29°C.
Days have remained unusually warm over Delhi/NCR during the last two weeks. Day temperatures have persistently stayed above average throughout the month, except on two days. The maximum temperature on 2nd February and 18th February was 17.5°C and 21.1°C, which was below normal by 4.8°C and 2.1°C, respectively. On the remaining days, the temperature has stayed above normal unabated. Higher-than-normal temperatures are likely to continue during the remaining days of the month. February may figure among the hottest months in recent times.
During the first week of the month, temperatures were marginally above normal. However, from 10th February onward, the mercury rose exceptionally high on all days except 18th February 2026, when it was below normal by about 2°C. The mean maximum temperature between 10th and 24th February has turned out to be 28.4°C, above normal by over 3°C. As per pentad normal, the capital records day temperatures between 25°C and 26°C during the second half of the month. The city has witnessed an exceptionally large number of warm days this month.
There is no active weather system likely for the plains of North India, including Delhi, until the end of the month. Cloudless skies on most days will cause radiational warming, adding further to the heat. Temperatures on a daily basis will exceed the 30°C mark and may even reach close to 32°C on 27th and 28th February 2026. The month of February may end up with a mean day temperature of 29°C, making it one of the warmest on record. Stronger-than-normal surface winds may marginally reduce the heat toward the fag end of the month. Therefore, it may miss recording temperatures in excess of 33°C, as expected in some earlier predictions.
