Delhi sees record high temperature in March, mercury soars 38°C — Light rains to abate heatwave; IMD's forecast here
Delhi is witnessing record high temperatures in March with mercury touching as high as 38°C. Heatwave likely to abate after showers in 3 days. Check IMD's forecast here.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted a “mainly clear sky” in Delhi on Thursday, a day after the mercury hit 38°C. As the national capital continues to report record high temperatures in March, the residents of the city can expect relief from scorching heat in the coming days.
IMD's latest weather bulletin forecasted that high temperatures will persist until 14 March, Saturday. Thereafter, generally cloudy sky is likely on 15 March with very light rain and thunderstorm during morning or forenoon hours. The weather department said, “A fresh western disturbance likely to affect Northwest India from 14th March, 2026.”
In the neighbouring states, “Isolated light rainfall with thunderstorm, lightning & gusty winds speed reaching (30-50 kmph) also likely over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh during 14th-16th; Uttar Pradesh on 15th & 16th and Rajasthan on 14th & 15th March,” IMD said. Notably, IMD has issued orange alert for heatwave conditions in Gujarat. Yellow alert is in place for Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
On Wednesday, maximum temperature was markedly above normal by over 5.1°C at several places across India, including Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan, Punjab, Gujarat, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Jammu and Kashmir, Goa, Maharshtra and Chhattisgarh.
Weather today
The maximum temperature will be significantly above normal today, by around 5 degrees Celsius or more and is expected to settle around 34°C to 36°C. Meanwhile, the minimum temperature will also be appreciably above normal today, by around 3.1°C to 5.0°C. This implies that the maximum temperature will hover around 16°C to 18°C.
Over the next 5 five days, the temperature is expected to range between 30 and 35 degrees Celsius. “Gradual fall in maximum temperature by 4-6°C likely over Western Himalayan region during next 7days & no significant change in maximum temperature likely over plains of Northwest India during next 24 hours; gradual fall by 2-4°C during subsequent 4 days and no significant change thereafter,” IMD said.
AQI today
On Thursday morning, Delhi residents woke up to “poor” average Air Quality Index (AQI) with a reading of 222 at 8:00 AM.