Delhi Sees Warmest Republic Day In 8 Years, Temperatures Set To Rise Further
As the country celebrated its 76th Republic Day on Sunday, Delhi recorded its warmest Republic Day in eight years with the maximum temperature reaching 23.7 degrees Celsius, two notches above normal.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the capital’s warmest Republic Day before this was in 2017 when the temperature peaked at 26.1 degrees Celsius. Over the years, Delhi’s temperature on January 26 has varied significantly. The long-period average (LPA) maximum temperature for the day since 1991 is 22.1 degrees Celsius. However, recent years have been cooler, with temperatures of 20.6 degrees Celsius in 2024, 17.3 degrees Celsius in 2023, and 16.4 degrees Celsius in 2022.
The weather department attributed the higher-than-usual temperatures to clear skies and dry northwesterly winds.
“Despite a recent western disturbance bringing some rain and snow to parts of northwest India, the maximum temperature in Delhi has remained relatively unaffected due to bright daytime sunshine,” explained Mahesh Palawat, Vice President of Skymet, a private weather monitoring agency.
However, these dry conditions have caused a drop in night temperatures. Delhi’s minimum temperature on Sunday was 7.2 degrees Celsius, slightly below normal, and a drop from 8.6 degrees Celsius on Saturday and 9.8 degrees Celsius on Friday.
Looking ahead, a fresh western disturbance is expected to affect the region from January 28, causing both maximum and minimum temperatures to rise. “The disturbance will shift wind patterns, reduce wind speeds and bring cloud cover, which will trap heat at night and cause night temperatures to rise,” said Palawat.
According to the IMD, the minimum temperature could rise to between 9-11 degrees Celsius by the weekend, while the maximum temperature is expected to hover between 24-26 degrees Celsius.
Meanwhile, Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) worsened, moving from the ‘moderate’ (174) category on Saturday to ‘poor’ (216) on Sunday. The Early Warning System (EWS) for Delhi forecasts that the AQI will stay in the ‘poor’ category on January 27 and 28 and could worsen to ‘very poor’ by January 29.