New Delhi: The city recorded another warm day on Tuesday, with the maximum temperature settling at 30.9°C — seven notches above normal — even as the Met department forecast a drizzle and a slight drop in daytime temperatures on Wednesday. Tuesday’s maximum of 30.9°C was lower than Monday’s 31.6°C. The minimum temperature was 12.4°C, a notch above normal, compared with 10.1°C the previous day. The city experienced north-westerly winds at speeds of up to 6kmph. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), a marginal dip in temperature was likely on Wednesday, with overcast skies and a drizzle expected. A yellow alert was issued for the day. “There is a possibility of a spell of very light rain at isolated places during morning hours. A spell of very light to light rain with thunderstorm or lightning is likely at isolated places towards the forenoon, accompanied by gusty winds of 30–40kmph. Another spell of very light rain is expected at isolated places in the afternoon,” IMD said in its forecast. IMD added that minimum temperatures are expected to remain largely unchanged over the next 24 hours, before dipping by 2–3°C over the subsequent two days. No major change is expected thereafter. The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to hover around 26–28°C and 13–15°C, respectively, on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the city’s air quality remained in the ‘poor’ category on Tuesday. The air quality index (AQI) stood at 249, compared with 261 a day earlier on the 0–500 scale. “The air quality is likely to be in the ‘very poor’ category on Feb 18 and in the ‘poor’ category from Feb 19 to 20. The outlook for the following six days indicates ‘poor’ air quality,” the early warning system of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) stated.
