10°C below normal: Delhi’s coolest late-April day in 12 years

New Delhi: The Capital on Sunday recorded a maximum temperature of 28.7 degrees Celsius (°C), 10 degrees cooler than the average at this time of the year and the lowest peak reading for any day in the second half of April in at least 13 years, the India Meteorological Department said.

The last time Delhi recorded a lower maximum in April was on April 1, 2023, at 28.4°C. But, if only the second half of the month is considered, a time when the temperature soars above 40°C, this is Delhi’s lowest maximum in 13 years, IMD data available since 2011 showed. The next lowest temperature was 29°C on April 17, 2019.

The minimum temperature in Delhi (recorded at the base station Safdarjung) was recorded at 22.8°C, which was a degree below normal. It was 22.2°C on Saturday when the maximum was 33.1°C. Forecasts show overcast skies for Monday as well, with very light rain and gusty winds of up to 40 km/hour likely to keep the maximum around 28°C. The minimum, meanwhile, will hover around 21°C.

Overcast skies and gusty winds with light drizzle kept Delhi pleasantly cool throughout Sunday. “There was more rain towards southwest and east Delhi and similar weather is expected on Monday, where the maximum could once again hover below 30 degrees,” said IMD scientist Kuldeep Srivastava, adding that while such a lower maximum was common during the first half of April, it was unusual towards the end.

While only trace rainfall was recorded at Safdarjung till 8.30 am, the observatory recorded 0.3mm of rainfall between 8.30 am and 5.30 pm. Palam and Lodhi Road recorded trace rainfall in the nine-hour period, while 10mm of rainfall was recorded at the Mayur Vihar station.

Gurugram recorded 10.5mm of rainfall till 5.30 pm and Noida recorded 4.5mm. Like Delhi, Gurugram’s maximum was below the 30-degree mark and was recorded at 29.3°C, while Noida recorded at 30.3°C.

The IMD said Delhi’s monthly average for maximum temperature in April was 35.3°C, which is 1.2 degrees cooler than the long-period average for the month.

The year 2020 recorded a monthly average maximum of 35.3°C.

The monthly average minimum was recorded at 19.7°C, two degrees lower than the long-period average. Delhi also did not record a single heatwave day at Safdarjung in April, while nine such days were recorded in April 2022.

A heatwave is when the maximum temperature is above 40°C, while also being 4.5 degrees or more above the normal mark.

Met officials said back-to-back western disturbances, particularly at the start and the end of the month, have kept mercury in check, with Delhi recording 20.1mm of rainfall in April. Officials said that this is 23% higher than the monthly normal mark of 16.3mm and Delhi’s wettest April since 2017 when the city received 26.9mm of rainfall.

In comparison, only 0.3mm of rainfall was recorded last April.

“We have had five western disturbances this month, which brought gusty winds and light rain. Even when there was no rain, the cloud cover due prevented the maximum and minimum temperatures from soaring,” said Srivastava adding that Delhi is likely to record more sporadic rain till May 5, with the maximum remaining below 35°C.

Delhi’s highest maximum this April was 40.6°C on April 17. In comparison, the highest maximum last April was 43.5°C – recorded on both April 29 and 30. In 2021, the highest maximum temperature was on April 29 at 42.2°C.