New Delhi, Apr 9 (PTI) Delhiites experienced the season’s first ‘warm’ night in April as the minimum temperature on Wednesday rose to 25.6 degrees Celsius — the highest for the month in the past three years — as a heatwave gripped the capital for the third straight day, as per the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
The maximum temperature remained above 40 degrees Celsius at several locations on Wednesday, with the city’s primary weather station at Safdarjung recording a high of 40.5 degrees Celsius — 5.4 notches above normal, IMD data showed.
Among the other monitoring stations, Ayanagar recorded a maximum temperature of 40.9 degree Celsius, Palam 40.3 degrees Celsius, Ridge 40.2 degrees Celsius, while Lodhi Road recorded a high of 39.7 degrees Celsius, as per IMD data.
With the daytime temperature in the capital hovering around 40 degrees Celsius for the past three days, four out of five weather stations in Delhi reported heatwave conditions, the IMD said.
According to the weather office, a heatwave is declared when the maximum temperature in the plains reaches at least 40 degrees Celsius or when the temperature departs from normal by 4.5 to 6.4 degrees Celsius.
Delhi recorded its first heatwave of the season on Monday when the maximum temperature soared to 40.2 degrees Celsius.
On Wednesday, the city recorded its highest minimum temperature in April in three years with the mercury settling at 25.6 degrees Celsius — 5.6 degrees above normal — marking the warmest night of the season so far, according to the IMD.
A similar trend was observed in 2022, when the highest minimum temperature in April was recorded at 26.2 degrees Celsius.
“Warm night conditions were observed only at Palam on Tuesday. Today, they were recorded at all the five synoptic stations,” the IMD said.
A ‘warm night’, as defined by the IMD, occurs when the minimum temperature departs from normal by 4.5 degree celsius to 6.4 degree celsius, and is only declared if the maximum temperature remains at 40 degrees Celsius or more.
In 2024 and 2023, the minimum temperature did not touch 25 degrees Celsius in April, according to the weather department.
The highest minimum temperature in 2024 was 24 degrees Celsius, while in 2023, it was 23.6 degrees.
The humidity level in the capital on Wednesday fluctuated between 51 per cent and 41 per cent during the day, according to the IMD.
For Thursday, the weather office has forecast thunderstorm with rain, with the maximum temperature likely to settle around 39 degrees Celsius, and the minimum around 25 degrees Celsius.
The Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi was recorded in the ‘poor’ category on Wednesday with a reading of 246 at 4 pm, as per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 to 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 to 200 ‘moderate’, 201 to 300 ‘poor’, 301 to 400 ‘very poor’, and 401 to 500 ‘severe’. PTI NSM ARI
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