Hot Days And Dry Weather Week For Delhi

Delhi had witnessed a hot ‘Holi’ as the day temperature had shot up, breaching the 36°C mark for the first time in this season. The base station at Safdarjung recorded a maximum of 36.2°C on 14th March, the highest temperature of this year so far.  Following fresh snowfall over Jammu & Kashmir, triggering cold winds down the slopes, the temperatures dipped to near normal and the observatory recorded a maximum of 31.9°C yesterday. This was the lowest maximum temperature over the last one week.  The temperature is likely to rise again, and the hope of any rainfall is rather dim.

The surface winds are likely to be strong around noon and afternoon today and tomorrow. This will restrict the day temperature to about 32°C.  A feeble western disturbance is likely to arrive over the mountains on 19th March. Also, a cyclonic circulation is expected to come up over Southeast Rajasthan in the lower levels around this time and persist for the next 2-3 days. Under the combined influence of these two systems, Delhi may find scattered clouds between 19th and 21st March.

The temperature is likely to rise to about 35°C on Wednesday, 19th March and shoot up further to about 36°-37°C the next day on 20th March. Delhi may surpass its earliest high of 36.2°C during that period. There is an outside chance of a very light and brief sprinkle late on the night of 20th March or in the wee hours on 21st March. The rest of the days of the week will find mostly clear sky, warm sun and moderate breezes.

A significant rise in temperature invariably takes place in the last week of March. Delhi has the precedence of exceeding 40°C, as it recorded a day high of 40.1°C on 30th March 2021. An all-time high of 40.6°C was established on 31st March 1945. Delhi stands a fair chance to breach the threshold of 40°C during the closing days of the month, between 25th and 31st March 2025.