Hottest Feb 19 in Delhi in 5 years

NEWDELHI:It might be time to pack up your woollens this year, as temperatures have been steadily rising in the capital, indicating the possible end of winter.

Don’t sweat it if you were feeling exceptionally warm this weekend. Sunday was an unseasonably hot day in Delhi, when temperature rose to as high as 30.8°C, and never dropped below 15.6°C.

This was the hottest February 19th the city witnessed in the last five years, and much greater than the average normal temperature expected for this time of year; the normal maximum and minimum temperatures are 24.8°C and 11°C, respectively.

The weathermen at the India Meteorological Department (IMD) expect the hot days to continue for the next week, though they were non committal on whether this marks the end of winter in the city.

Temperatures are expected to range between 17°C and 31°C on Monday. For the rest of the week, one can expect temperature as high as 26°C-27°C during the day, which will not drop below 12°C-15°C in the morning.

Many Delhiites have been less than pleased with the rising temperature. “When I was younger, I remember going to school wearing sweaters in March/ April. This year, by the end of January, it had started getting warmer. We did not even take out some of the thicker quilts this year. It does not feel like a Delhi winter,” said Naina Gill, a resident of Green Park.

They may have to brace themselves for warmer days ahead.

“The rise in temperature is because of a western disturbance. Though we cannot say whether this is the end of winter, we are not expecting any cold wave in the coming week. The possibility of temperatures dropping is very low,” said an official at the Regional Weather Forecasting Centre.

With the high temperatures expected to prevail during the course of the week, it might be time to get those sun dresses and cottons out.