Delhi Records Coolest April Day in 3 Years; Rain Brings Down Max Temp At 28.8°C

Delhi witnessed an unusual April chill on Tuesday as a spell of very light rain, coupled with gusty winds, dramatically pulled down the maximum temperature to 28.8°C—six degrees below normal—marking the coolest April day the city has seen in the past three years.

Winds clocked up to 56 kmph at Palam around 1:30 pm, disrupting air traffic schedules. While no flights were diverted or cancelled, real-time tracking platform FlightRadar24 reported delays in over 400 flights.

Meteorologists attribute the cooling to an active western disturbance that kept temperatures in check throughout the day. The mercury dipped below the 30°C mark, a sharp fall from Monday’s 33.3°C. Notably, the last time April recorded a lower maximum was on April 30, 2023, at 28.7°C.

Rainfall remained light but steady across the capital. Safdarjung recorded 0.4 mm till 8:30 am and an additional 3 mm by evening. Palam logged 1.4 mm in the morning and 2.1 mm later in the day, while Lodhi Road registered 1 mm and 3 mm during the same intervals. The minimum temperature settled at 20.1°C.

“A similar weather pattern is expected on Wednesday and a yellow alert is in place. However, after the influence of a western disturbance is over, clear skies are likely to return. A fall in maximum temperature by 4-6 degrees Celsius is expected during the next two days and gradual rise is predicted by 6-8 degrees Celsius thereafter,” said a Met official.

IMD predicts continued light rain, gusty winds

The India Meteorological Department has forecast continued light rain and gusty winds of up to 50 kmph on Wednesday. However, a sharp rebound in temperatures is expected from Thursday, with the mercury likely climbing to 30-32°C and potentially peaking between 35-37°C by Sunday.

So far this season, the highest recorded temperature stands at 36.8°C, observed on April 2 and March 11. The latter half of March remained relatively cooler due to back-to-back western disturbances, a trend that appears to have extended into early April with below-normal temperatures on most days.

Meanwhile, Delhi’s air quality remained in the “moderate” category, with an AQI of 114 on Tuesday, an improvement from 135 the previous day. Weather experts suggest that rainfall may push air quality into the “satisfactory” range on Wednesday, though a return to “moderate” levels is expected by Thursday and Friday, according to the Air Quality Early Warning System.