Reset: Heat back on after rainy pause

New Delhi: Temperatures in Delhi began rising on Thursday after several days of rain and below-normal readings, with the maximum temperature settling at 30.8 degrees Celsius and further increase expected over the next few days amid forecasts of strong surface winds.

The India Meteorological Department has forecast a minimum temperature of around 17 degrees Celsius and a maximum of about 33 degrees Celsius for Friday, along with strong surface winds during the daytime.

Meanwhile, station-wise, Safdarjung, the city’s base station, recorded a maximum temperature of 30.8 degrees Celsius, 4.3 degrees below normal, while Palam logged 29.6 degrees Celsius, 5.9 degrees below normal. Lodhi Road recorded 30.6 degrees Celsius, Ridge 31.0 degrees Celsius and Ayanagar 30.5 degrees Celsius.

Minimum temperatures also remained below normal across stations, with Safdarjung recording 16.3 degrees Celsius, Palam 14.6 degrees Celsius, Lodhi Road 15.2 degrees Celsius, Ridge 14.5 degrees Celsius and Ayanagar 16.2 degrees Celsius. Rainfall activity was minimal, with Palam recording a cumulative 1.2 mm till 8.30 am, while other stations largely reported no rainfall or only trace amounts.

Weather experts said temperatures are now expected to rise steadily. “We are expecting a rise in the maximum temperatures over the northwest parts of the country by 6 to 8 degrees Celsius over the western Himalayan region and by 8 to 10 degrees Celsius over the north plains of northwest India. From tomorrow onwards, we are expecting clear skies,” an IMD official said.

The city’s air quality stood in the ‘moderate’ category, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 101.

According to CPCB standards, an AQI of 0–50 is considered ‘good’, 51–100 ‘satisfactory’, 101–200 ‘moderate’, 201–300 ‘poor’, 301–400 ‘very poor’, and 401–500 ‘severe’.