Hottest Jan day since 2007, rain forecast tonight

WINDS Mercury rises due to warm south-easterly winds

NEW DELHI: After the coldest December in 13 years, the national capital experienced its hottest January-day on Sunday, since 2007, with the day temperature shooting up to 28.7°C, seven degrees above normal.

“The temperature was unusually high on Sunday. It shot up primarily because of the clear sky and a change in wind direction. While northwesterly winds bring in the chill from the snow covered regions of north India, the southerly and south-easterly winds are warmer in nature. On Sunday, the latter were dominant,” Kuldeep Srivastava, head of the regional weather forecasting centre, said.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast that Delhi could receive moderate rain from Monday night.

“A cyclonic circulation has already formed over Rajasthan because of an approaching western disturbance. This is expected to trigger rain across the plains of northwest India, including Delhi, from the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday,” BP Yadav, deputy director general of IMD, said. The night temperature on Sunday, however, was 7°C, considered normal.

“As the sky turns cloudy and rain approaches, the night temperature is expected to rise while the days are expected to get colder. By Tuesday, the night temperature could go up to 10°C while the day temperature could drop to around 20°C,” an IMD official said.

The IMD had, in December, 2018 forecast that this winter would be warmer. However, it turned out to be the coldest December since 2005, with minimum temperature dropping to as low as 2.6°C. January, however, remained comparatively warmer, with night temperature remaining mostly above 6°C. 0-50 201-300 51-100 300-400