This Sunday, Delhi experienced its warmest Republic Day in eight years, with temperatures reaching 23.7 degrees Celsius, which is two degrees higher than usual. The last time it was this hot on January 26 was in 2017, when temperatures hit 26.1 degrees Celsius.
Over the years, temperatures on Republic Day have changed a lot. The average maximum temperature since 1991 is 22.1 degrees Celsius, but in recent years, it has been cooler: 20.6 degrees Celsius in 2024, 17.3 degrees in 2023, and just 16.4 degrees in 2022.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) explained that the warm weather is due to clear skies and dry winds blowing from the northwest. Even though some rain and snow recently moved through northwest India, the sunny days in Delhi kept the temperatures high. Mahesh Palawat, Vice President of Skymet Weather, noted that clear skies and dry winds caused cooler temperatures at night.
On Sunday, the minimum temperature in Delhi dropped to 7.2 degrees Celsius, which is below the normal range. This was lower than the temperatures of 8.6 degrees on Saturday and 9.8 degrees on Friday.
Good news is coming! A new weather change, called a western disturbance, is expected to start affecting the region on January 28. This will likely cause both the highest and lowest temperatures to go up. The disturbance will change the wind patterns, slow down the winds, and bring cloud cover. This means it will trap heat at night, making it warmer.
The IMD predicts that by the weekend, the minimum temperature could rise to between 9 and 11 degrees Celsius, while the maximum will stay between 24 and 26 degrees Celsius.
However, there is a downside—Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) has shifted from moderate (174) to poor (216) due to air pollution. According to the Early Warning System (EWS) for Delhi, AQI levels will stay in the ‘poor’ category on January 27 and 28, and could drop even lower to ‘very poor’ by January 29. The AQI scale is as follows:
– 0 to 50: Good
– 51 to 100: Satisfactory
– 101 to 200: Moderate
– 201 to 300: Poor
– 301 to 400: Very Poor
– 401 to 500: Severe
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