Clear skies, cool winds protect Delhi from heat | Latest News Delhi

Clear skies and cool winds took the minimum temperature in Delhi to 19.3°C on Thursday, which was five degrees below normal, and is expected to drop by another degree on Friday, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

IMD said cloud cover is likely to return on Saturday, with a chance of a western disturbance that will affect Delhi by bringing light rain and wind gusts up to 45 km per hour. The minimum temperature in Delhi has gradually fallen in the past few days, from 22.2°C on Tuesday to 21°C on Wednesday.

IMD scientist Kuldeep Srivastava said Delhi has recorded clearer skies for the past three days, which normally makes days extremely hot and nights cooler. However, the fast winds helped Delhi by not significantly increasing the daytime temperature, he said.

“At night we see that heat is lost quite quickly in the atmosphere, with usually low wind speeds. This leads to a temperature drop. From early morning we see good wind speeds, which will continue until evening and also keep the maximum under control,” he said.

The maximum temperature in Delhi on Thursday was 35.5°C, four degrees below normal for this time of the year. The day before it was 33.7°C. This temporary period of relatively low daytime temperatures is expected to end on Friday, with IMD predicting a maximum temperature of around 38°C for Friday and 40°C for Saturday.

“The minimum may drop to 18°C ​​on Friday, before rising back above 20°C on Saturday. The maximum is expected to reach close to 40°C on Saturday before it drops by another degree or two due to rain,” Srivastava said.

While the weather station at Safdarjung is representative of Delhi’s weather, it was cooler in other locations. Mungeshpur station in northwest Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 17.4°C and Lodhi Road station 17.6°C.

Last year, the lowest temperature recorded at Safdarjung station in May was 15.8°C on May 4. In 2022 it was 17.2°C on May 23.

Meanwhile, air quality in Delhi was in the ‘moderate’ category as per the Central Pollution Control Board’s daily bulletins, with a 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) of 196 on Thursday. Wednesday it was 198 (moderate).