Delhi saw slight decrease in temperatures, IMD forecasts rise in coming days

Safdarjung, representative of the citys weather, recorded a maximum temperature of 33.6 degrees Celsius, 5.7 degrees below the normal and a 1.8 degree decrease from the day before, the Met Centre said.

The national capital on Thursday saw a slight decrease in the maximum temperature, as partly cloudy skies persisted throughout most of the day, the India Meteorological Department said. The IMD also forecast a likely increase in temperatures in the coming days. Safdarjung, representative of the city's weather, recorded a maximum temperature of 33.6 degrees Celsius, 5.7 degrees below the normal and a 1.8 degree decrease from the day before, the Met Centre said. The minimum temperatures across all major weather stations, however, saw a rise. Safdarjung recorded a minimum temperature of 23.8 degrees, 1.3 degrees below the normal and 3.1 degrees more than on Wednesday. Palam recorded a maximum of 32.6 degrees, 1.9 degrees below that of the day before, and a minimum temperature of 21.5 degrees, a 1.9 degree rise. Lodhi Road and Ridge recorded a minimum temperature of 22.6 degrees and 21.7 degrees, a rise of 3.6 degrees and 3 degrees from Wednesday. The maximum temperature at both stations saw a more than three-degree decrease from the day before. ''Partly cloudy skies persisted in the city, leading to a rise in minimum temperature and a fall in maximum temperature, as cloudy conditions prevent heat from escaping from the earth's surface at night and vice versa,'' an IMD official said. IMD has forecast mainly clear skies to persist for the next couple of days, leading to a rise in maximum temperature, which is likely to be around 33-35 degrees Celsius on Friday and 35-37 degrees Celsius on Saturday. The minimum temperature is likely to be around 23-25 degrees Celsius by Saturday. The air quality of the city, meanwhile, remained in the moderate category, as the 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) was clocked at 125 (moderate) at 4 pm, as compared to an AQI of 121 (moderate) at the same time on Wednesday, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). An AQI of 0-50 is considered 'good', 51-100 'satisfactory', 101-200 'moderate', 201-300 'poor', 301-400 'very poor', and 401-500 'severe'. The Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi has forecast the AQI to remain in the moderate category for the next few days.