At 36.1 degrees, Delhi witnesses its warmest day of the season

New Delhi, Mar 18: Delhi recorded the warmest day of the season on Thursday as the maximum temperature settled five notches above normal at 36.1 degrees Celsius, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The sky was largely clear throughout the day, PTI reported.

Though the mercury is expected to rise by one or two notches in the coming days, it is unlikely to touch 40 degrees Celsius, an IMD official said.

"Delhi recorded the warmest day of the season with the maximum temperature reaching 36.1 degrees Celsius. In the coming days, the temperature is expected to rise but it will not touch 40 degrees Celsius as there would be winds," RK Jenamani, a senior scientist at the IMD, said.

Meanwhile, the minimum temperature in the national capital was recorded at 19.9 degrees Celsius, three notches above normal.

The IMD has forecast a clear sky on Friday with the maximum and minimum temperatures expected to hover around 36 degrees Celsius and 21 degrees Celsius respectively.

The relative humidity oscillated between 87 per cent and 36 per cent, it noted.

The air quality in the national capital was recorded in the "moderate" category in the morning with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 190, according to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR).

The PM2.5 and PM10 levels in the city were 190 and 153 respectively. While PM10 was in the "satisfactory" category, PM2.5 was in the "moderate" category.

The air quality is likely to degrade to the "poor" category over the next two days as the wind speed tends to be low, preventing efficient dispersion of pollutants.

However, a likely increase in the maximum temperature enhances convection and ventilation. From March 20 onwards, the AQI is expected to improve but remain in the "poor" category due to a relatively moderate wind speed that enhances dispersion of pollutants, the SAFAR noted.

At Noida's Anand Vihar station, the AQI was recorded at 139. The AQI in Gurugram and Faridabad was in the "moderate" category.

An AQI between zero and 50 is considered "good", 51 and 100 "satisfactory", 101 and 200 "moderate", 201 and 300 "poor", 301 and 400 "very poor", and 401 and 500 "severe".

(PTI)