Heavy rain fell in parts of New Delhi and Haryana on Saturday, providing relief from a notably warm February, which saw an average maximum temperature of 26.7°C. The India Meteorological Department predicted further light to moderate rainfall combined with thunderstorms and gusty winds across various areas, including Delhi-NCR. Despite this, the city is expected to experience a warmer than usual March with several heatwave days anticipated. February recorded the highest minimum temperature average in six years, with a peak of 19.5°C on February 27, marking the warmest February night in 74 years. Rainfall was lower this February compared to last year.
New Delhi:
Significant rainfall impacted various regions of the national capital on Saturday, providing much-needed relief to residents from the warm weather experienced throughout February. Areas in Haryana also faced heavy rainfall. This February was notably warm for Delhi, with the average maximum temperature soaring to 26.7 degrees Celsius, as reported by media citing weather department statistics.
On February 28, the India Meteorological Department forecasted light to moderate rain accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds in Delhi-NCR overnight.
“Light to moderate rainfall, accompanied by moderate thunderstorms and lightning (with gusty winds of 30-50 Km/h), is very likely to occur in many parts of Delhi and NCR, including Loni Dehat, Hindon AF Station, Bahadurgarh, Ghaziabad, Indirapuram, Chhapraula, Noida, Gurugram, Faridabad, Manesar, Ballabhgarh, Assandh, Safidon, Gannaur, Sonipat, Kharkhoda, Sohana, Rewari, Palwal, Bawal, Nuh (Haryana), Gangoh, Deoband, Kandhla, Baraut, Bagpat, Khekra (U.P.), and Bhiwari (Rajasthan) in the next 2 hours,” the forecast indicated.
Additionally, with overcast skies, the maximum temperature on Friday reached 27 degrees Celsius, which is 0.9 degrees above the seasonal average, while the minimum was noted at 18.4 degrees Celsius, the second-highest minimum this month, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
On Thursday, residents of Delhi were greeted with rain and thunderstorms, with the weather office predicting a continuation of similar conditions on Friday and Saturday.
Reports suggest that India may face a warmer-than-normal March with a notable number of heatwave days, as shared by the weather office on Friday.
The average minimum temperature for the national capital stood at 11.6 degrees Celsius, marking the highest February minimum recorded in the last six years.
The last instance of such a high average minimum temperature was in 2017.
The preceding month also broke records, with the minimum temperature reaching 19.5 degrees Celsius on February 27, signifying the hottest February night in 74 years.
According to available data, this shattered all previous records dating back to 1951. Additionally, on that day, the maximum temperature peaked at 32.4 degrees Celsius, making it the hottest day of the month.
Meanwhile, the occurrence of rainfall was less than in the previous year, with Delhi recording four rainy days in February, compared to six in 2024.
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