NEW DELHI: Brace for warmer days as daytime temperatures, already above normal, could rise more soon. The mercury may reach 34 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, which is Holi, and touch 36 degrees Celsius by March 8.On Tuesday, the maximum temperature rose to 31.5 degrees Celsius, four degrees above normal, at Safdarjung, the city’s base station. It was 30.9 degrees a day earlier. As the city consistently seen clear skies, the maximum hours of sunshine is causing the rise in mercury.“The city last recorded a western disturbance on Jan 27. Feb saw feeble western disturbances, which caused only some drizzle on two days. In the absence of an active western disturbance, the city has continuously recorded temperatures above normal,” said a Met official.The India Meteorological Department predicted that the maximum temperature is likely to stay between 33 and 35 degrees Celsius on Thursday and may rise to around 36 by March 8. “A gradual rise in maximum temperatures is expected by 3-4 degrees Celsius during the next seven days. They are likely to be appreciably above normal (3.1 degrees Celsius to 5 degrees Celsius) to markedly above normal (5.1 degrees Celsius or more),” said an IMD official. He added that sustained surface winds with speeds of around 15-25 kmph are likely to prevail, with occasional gusts up to 35 kmph during the daytime on Wednesday and Thursday.In this season so far, the city has recorded the highest maximum temperature of 32.5 degrees Celsius on Feb 28. The mercury has stayed above 30 degrees Celsius for the past seven days. IMD’s data shows that the maximum mostly remained above normal in Feb. It dipped below normal just twice last month.Delhi’s air quality slipped into the poor category as wind speed slowed. The AQI stood at 216, as against 193 on Monday. As the wind is expected to pick up, the AQI is likely to be moderate from Wednesday to Friday.The Commission for Air Quality Management has asked Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and UP govts to implement a targeted Information, Education and Communication (IEC) framework to curb air pollution. CAQM said while enforcement measures are in place, IEC is required for sector-specific strategies.
