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March likely to leave on a cooler note in Delhi: IMD

Mar 21, 2023 12:50 AM IST

IMD’s seven-day forecast shows Delhi’s maximum temperature could hover around the 26-degree mark on Tuesday and while it will gradually rise to 30 degrees by Thursday

The Capital is likely to record a cooler-than-usual second half of the month with back-to-back western disturbances likely to regulate Delhi’s temperature and keep the mercury between 26-30 degrees Celsius (°C) till at least March 26, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Monday. Delhi recorded gusty winds and intense thundershowers in the evening—marking the third consecutive day of intense weather activity in the region—as the mercury clocked a relatively cool maximum temperature of 27.1°C, which is three degrees below normal.

Strong thundershowers were reported in the Capital from 6pm onwards on Monday. (Raj K Raj/HT Photo)
Strong thundershowers were reported in the Capital from 6pm onwards on Monday. (Raj K Raj/HT Photo)

A western disturbance refers to an area of “disturbed” or reduced air pressure, moving from the west to the east, carrying with it moisture associated with rainfall, snowfall and fog in northern India.

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Kuldeep Srivastava, scientist at IMD, said while the first half of the month witnessed clear skies and no rain, the second half has already recorded two western disturbances, with another expected between March 23 and 25.

“While the impact of this current western disturbance will continue till Tuesday—cloudy skies and drizzle will keep the temperature in check—we will start seeing the impact of the next western disturbance from Thursday, which is also likely to bring light rain on Friday. A yellow alert is already in place for Friday for light rain and no heatwave is expected in Delhi till the end of the month,” he said.

IMD’s seven-day forecast shows Delhi’s maximum temperature could hover around the 26-degree mark on Tuesday and while it will gradually rise to 30 degrees by Thursday, Friday’s rain spell and the subsequent cloudy skies will once again bring the maximum temperature down to under 30°C. “After that western disturbance too, the temperature rise will be gradual and we will not see high temperatures like in the previous few years,” he added.

Delhi’s hottest day of the year so far was recorded on March 15, when the maximum temperature was 34.3°C. The mercury normally crosses the 35-degree mark in the latter half of March. The highest maximum temperature reported this month last year was 39.6°C on March 31, and in 2021, it was 40.1°C on March 30.

The Capital witnessed an unusually pleasant spell of cool winds and rain over the past 72 hours with the mercury clocking 28°C on Sunday and 25.3°C on Saturday. While no rain was recorded at any Delhi weather station till 5.30pm, gusty winds between 5pm and 5.30pm led to at least 11 flights being diverted from Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport. Strong thundershowers were reported in the Capital from 6pm onwards, with short but intense spells recorded in most parts of Delhi. Safdarjung, representative of the Capital’s weather, recorded 6.6mm of rain between 5.30pm and 8.30pm and Palam received 10.4mm of rain in the same period. Delhi has so far recorded 12.3mm of rain this month. The monthly normal rainfall mark for March is 17.4mm

“As forecast, Delhi witnessed short but intense spells of rain. Most parts of Delhi received from 6pm onwards with thunderstorm and lightning accompanied by gusty winds.” Srivastava added.

He added that while rain did not disrupt flight operations, gusty winds of 46kmph around Palam (IGI Airport) at around 5pm, made it difficult for flights to land. An airport official confirmed the same, and said eight flights were diverted to Jaipur and three were diverted to the Lucknow airport.

“Due to strong winds, it was difficult to land flights between 5pm and 5.30pm. No disruption occurred after that,” the official added, asking not to be named.

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