At 35.7 degrees Celsius, Delhi records highest maximum temperature for first week of March in 50 years

New Delhi: Several north Indian states have been witnessing a steady rise in mercury, with Delhi on Saturday recording a maximum temperature of 35.7 degrees Celsius, the highest reading logged in the first week of the month in the past 50 years, an IMD official told PTI.

According to weather data from the past 50 years, earlier the highest maximum temperature reading during the first seven days of March at Safdarjung, the city's base weather station, was 34.8 degrees Celsius logged on March 5, 1999.

With the mercury touching 35.7 degrees Celsius on Saturday, it is now the hottest day in the first week of March during the 50-year period, the IMD official said.

India Meteorological Department (IMD) data 2011 onwards shows that the second-highest temperature reading during the first week of March was recorded in 2016, when the mercury settled at 33.6 degrees Celsius on March 4.

Safdarjung, the city's primary weather station, recorded a maximum temperature of 35.7 degrees Celsius on Saturday, 7.3 degrees above normal, and a minimum of 17.4 degrees Celsius, 3.4 notches above normal.

In neighbouring Haryana, the average maximum temperature was markedly above normal by 6.2 degrees Celsius. The highest temperature in the state was 36.3 degrees Celsius at Hisar.

In Uttarakhand, temperatures have been rising steadily in Dehradun and other parts of the state for the past few days. According to official data, the minimum temperature in Dehradun rose sharply over the past two to three days, from 12 degrees Celsius to 17.8 degrees Celsius on Saturday, six degrees Celsius above normal.

Maximum temperatures have hovered around 30-31 degrees Celsius for the past two to three days. The maximum temperature on Saturday was 31.5 degrees Celsius, five degrees Celsius above normal.

According to the Meteorological Centre in Dehradun, maximum temperatures in both the plains and hilly areas of Uttarakhand have been significantly above normal in the past 24 hours.

Most parts of Jammu and Kashmir continued to reel under above-normal temperatures on Saturday, though there was an appreciable drop in day temperatures compared to the previous day, an official of the Meteorological department said.

However, the conditions are likely to change in the coming days with the meteorological department predicting a spell of wet weather from March 10 to 12 under the influence of an approaching western disturbance.

Jammu recorded a maximum of 30 degrees Celsius and a minimum of 19.1 degrees Celsius, which was 4.6 and 5.6 notches above normal during this part of the season, respectively. Jammu had recorded a high of 31.8 degrees Celsius and a minimum of 19.1 degrees Celsius the previous day.

Katra, the base camp for the pilgrims visiting Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine, also recorded a maximum of 28 degrees Celsius and a minimum of 17.8 degrees Celsius, which was also several degrees above normal.

Rising trend in Mercury continued in Himachal Pradesh, and Shimla Met office has predicted heat wave in four districts of Kangra, Kullu, Mandi and Solan on Sunday.

Heat wave was witnessed in Sundernagar, Bhuntar Solan and Dharamshala, Met office said on Saturday.

Una was hottest during the day recording a high of 32.8 degrees Celsius, while Tabo was the coldest in the night with a low of 1.8 degrees Celsius.