Delhi witnessed an unusually cool day in March as a cyclonic circulation caused temperatures to drop sharply. The maximum temperature settled at 21.7 degrees Celsius (°C), which was 9.6°C below normal and 5.1°C lower than the previous day, making it the lowest maximum temperature recorded in the month in six years.
The last time the city recorded a lower maximum temperature in March was on March 8, 2020, when it reached 21.2°C.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB’s) daily bulletin, the chilly afternoon winds and other favourable meteorological conditions also cleaned up the Capital’s air, as it logged a “satisfactory" air quality index (AQI) of 93.
This was the cleanest air recorded in 2026 and the first “satisfactory" air day since October 9, 2025, when the AQI stood at 99. The previous instance of cleaner air in the city was on October 8, 2025, when the AQI was recorded at 80.
The IMD had issued a yellow alert for rain and thunderstorms in Delhi on Friday. The showers, brought by an active western disturbance, provided relief from the recent spell of record temperatures. Meanwhile, several districts in Uttar Pradesh witnessed gusty winds, thunderstorms and rainfall, leading to stormy conditions across the region.
Following the recent spell of rain, this March has become the wettest in the past three years. The previous higher rainfall for the month was recorded in 2023, when total precipitation reached 50.4 mm.
Similar weather conditions were observed across the Delhi-NCR region. Gurugram recorded a maximum temperature of 21.8°C with an AQI of 98. In Gautam Budh Nagar, which includes Noida and Greater Noida, the maximum temperature stood at 20.1°C, while the AQI was recorded at 86 in Noida and 98 in Greater Noida.
Ghaziabad logged a maximum temperature of 20.3°C along with an AQI of 100.
As per the CPCB’s classification, an AQI between zero and 50 falls under the “good" category, 51 to 100 is considered “satisfactory", 101 to 200 “moderate", 201 to 300 “poor", 301 to 400 “very poor", and 401 to 500 “severe".
According to the Centre’s early warning system for Delhi, the city’s AQI is expected to rise to the moderate category on Saturday and remain at that level over the coming week.
The IMD has forecast that the maximum temperature in the Capital will increase on Saturday and hover between 27°C and 29°C. At the same time, the minimum temperature is likely to drop to between 13°C and 15°C. On Friday, the minimum temperature was recorded at 16°C.
Source: News18