Signs of an early winter? Delhi experiences coldest September temperature in 18 years

Delhi weather: Delhi experienced its coldest September morning in 18 years on Sunday, with the minimum temperature dropping to 21 degrees Celsius, giving the city an unusually cool start to the day. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) stated that this was the second-lowest minimum temperature recorded in September at Safdarjung since 2001.

The minimum temperature at Safdarjung was 2.9 degrees below the seasonal average, while the maximum temperature was 30.6 degrees Celsius, 3.7 degrees below normal. The cooler weather followed rainfall in Delhi and widespread rain across neighbouring states. Delhi's air quality remained in the 'satisfactory' category.

The IMD noted that the lowest September minimum since 2001 was 20.8 degrees Celsius on September 6, 2008, and the third-lowest was 21.1 degrees Celsius on September 19, 2024. Weather scientist Krishna Mishra said the minimum temperature of 21 degrees Celsius recorded at Safdarjung was the second-lowest since 2001.

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Other weather stations in Delhi-NCR also recorded low temperatures. Ridge saw a minimum of 16.8 degrees Celsius, Palam 19.2 degrees Celsius, Lodi Road 21 degrees Celsius, and Ayanagar 21.2 degrees Celsius. Maximum temperatures ranged between 29.2 and 30.6 degrees Celsius across the region.

The temperature drop was sharp compared to Saturday, when the minimum temperature was 23.2 degrees Celsius. Daytime temperatures remained below normal, with Safdarjung's maximum at 30.6 degrees Celsius on Sunday, up from 29.2 degrees Celsius the previous day.

Delhi received 5 mm of rainfall between 8:30 pm on Saturday and 8:30 am on Sunday. Parts of the city also saw around 5 mm of post-monsoon rainfall on Saturday due to a deep depression over the west-central Bay of Bengal interacting with a western disturbance.

The IMD linked the widespread rain to the deep depression affecting a broad area from Andhra Pradesh and Odisha through Chhattisgarh, eastern Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. Mishra said intense rain activity was observed in many places in Uttar Pradesh, with low minimum temperatures in Delhi and nearby areas attributed to this large-scale rain.

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Daytime temperatures were also lower in several states. Mishra noted that maximum temperatures were up to 10 degrees below normal in parts of Uttar Pradesh, 5-7 degrees below normal in parts of Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, and 7-8 degrees below normal in Uttarakhand. In Delhi, some areas recorded temperatures around four degrees below normal.

The IMD forecast cloudy skies in Delhi on Monday, with temperatures expected to range between 21 and 32 degrees Celsius. No rainfall is expected from Monday onwards, and conditions are likely to become drier as the southwest monsoon withdraws further.

Delhi's southwest monsoon withdrew on September 23, two days earlier than usual. Safdarjung recorded 728.6 mm of rainfall during the monsoon season, 16 per cent above the long-period average of 629.7 mm, but still within the normal range. Last year, the city had a 41 per cent rainfall surplus.