New Delhi: The national capital saw a bright sunny morning with clear skies on Sunday, making it the warmest Republic Day in eight years.
At 23.7 degrees Celsius, two notches above normal, the maximum temperature continued to remain above normal for the ninth straight day in the city. According to data from India Meteorological Department (IMD), the last time the maximum temperature was higher on Jan 26 was in 2017, when it was 26.1 degrees Celsius.
IMD has forecast a western disturbance to approach the region from Jan 28 onwards, which is likely to lead to a further rise in maximum temperature till the weekend. Delhi’s minimum temperature, which dipped below normal on Sunday, is also expected to rise by 3-4 degrees Celsius by Saturday.
According to weather analysts, despite snow and rain on the mountains last week, the maximum temperatures did not fall significantly as the clear skies allowed bright sun, causing warming. The clear skies, however, also led to a drop in the minimum temperature as it allows the radiating earth to release heat to the outer atmosphere.
On Sunday, the minimum temperature was 7.2 degrees Celsius, a notch below normal against 8.6 degrees Celsius a day earlier.
Meanwhile, Delhi’s air quality deteriorated marginally in the past 24 hours. The average air quality index (AQI) stood at 216 (poor) at 4pm on Sunday. It was 174 (moderate) a day earlier. A drop in wind speed in the coming days is expected to lead to further deterioration in AQI. “Delhi’s AQI is likely to be in the ‘poor’ category on Jan 27 and 28. The AQI is likely to be in the ‘very poor’ category on Jan 29,” said the Early Warning System for Delhi, a forecasting model under the Centre.
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