Capital cranks up the heat: Mercury may hit 40°C by end-March, says Met

After dropping below the 35-degree mark on Tuesday for the first time in a week, temperatures in the city are back on the rise again, with Delhi recording a high of 35.5°C on Thursday – five degrees above normal for this time of the year.

According to forecasts by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the mercury is expected to hover between 35 and 36°C for the next three days, before rising to a high of 38°C by March 29. Parts of Delhi could also head close to the 40-degree mark by March 29 and 30, officials said.

“In the last nine days, the temperature has been 35°C or higher on eight days and fell below the 35-degree mark only on Tuesday, as wind speeds picked up to 20 to 25 km/hr during the day. We are once again likely to see a rise in mercury over the next few days, and the heat will be most intense towards the end of the month with March 29, 30 and 31 likely to take parts of Delhi to around 39 or 40°C,” said RK Jenamani, scientist at IMD.

He also said chances of rain until the end of the month are low, with Delhi expected to end March with no rainfall. However, wind speeds are again expected to pick up to 30-35 km/hr on March 26 and 27, which could have a slight cooling effect.

“These winds will keep the maximum at around 35°C, which otherwise would have shot up to 37 or 38°C. As per forecasts, Safdarjung will touch 38°C once again by March 29, while other parts of Delhi may be around 39°C,” he said.

While Safdarjung is considered the base for Delhi’s weather, it wasn’t the hottest location in the Capital on Thursday. The Yamuna Sports Complex station in east Delhi recorded a high of 36.9°C, followed by Najafgarh and Pitampura (36.5°C). In terms of the minimum, Delhi had a low of 21.2°C, four degrees above normal.

Delhi recorded its hottest day of the year so far on Sunday, when mercury touched 38.3°C at Safdarjung, while it was 39.9°C at two stations – the Yamuna Sports Complex and Pitampura.

The Met’s forecast for Friday shows the maximum is likely to hover between 35 and 36 degrees in most parts of Delhi, while the minimum will be around 19-20 degrees.