Saturday morning as cool winds kept temperatures lower than usual. This change in weather comes after the city recorded its coldest March day in six years on Friday.
Representational Image (Source Internet)
New Delhi: National Capital Delhi woke up to a foggy Saturday morning as cool winds kept temperatures lower than usual. This change in weather comes after the city recorded its coldest March day in six years on Friday, along with the cleanest air day in the past five months. The sudden drop in temperature and improved air quality have brought noticeable relief to residents.
According to India Meteorological Department scientist Akhil Shrivastava, widespread thunderstorm activity across India has played a key role in this shift. Rainfall in Delhi on Friday caused a significant fall in maximum temperatures. While skies remained mostly cloudy on Saturday, conditions are expected to turn partly cloudy by Sunday, indicating a gradual change in weather patterns.
Delhi’s air quality also showed marked improvement. The Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 94 on Saturday morning, falling under the ‘satisfactory’ category. A similar trend was seen on Friday, with an AQI of 93. This is the first time since October 9, 2025, that the city has experienced such clean air, when the AQI was recorded at 99. As per Central Pollution Control Board standards, AQI levels between 51 and 100 are considered satisfactory, indicating relatively cleaner air and lower health risks.
At the Safdarjung weather station, the maximum temperature on Friday was recorded at 21.7°C, which is 9.6 degrees below normal. This makes it the coldest March day since March 8, 2020. The minimum temperature stood at 16°C, slightly below average. For Saturday, the IMD has predicted a minimum temperature of around 14°C and a maximum of 27°C.
Delhi received 7 mm of rainfall on Friday, contributing to the drop in temperature. The city’s average rainfall for March is 16.2 mm, making this one of the wetter March periods in recent years, though still below the 50.4 mm recorded in 2023. Weather experts predict very light rain to return on Monday, along with possible thunderstorms and lightning due to an active western disturbance.
The Air Quality Early Warning System forecasts moderate air quality from Saturday through March 23. With fluctuating weather conditions and occasional rainfall, Delhi is expected to experience a mix of cool mornings and relatively warmer afternoons in the coming days.
