The temperature in Delhi crossed 35°C on Saturday — the earliest the city has hit this mark in at least 15 years — according to data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), underscoring an unusually hot start to March.
The maximum temperature touched 35.7°C, which was 7.3°C above normal and the earliest the daytime temperature has crossed the 35°C threshold since at least 2011. IMD does not have publicly released monthly data prior to that year. The minimum temperature settled at 17.4°C, about 3.4°C above normal.
Before this year, the earliest the temperature had crossed 35°C was in 2021, when it reached 35.2°C on March 11. In 2025, the threshold was crossed on March 14 (36.2°C), while in 2024 it happened only on March 27, when the mercury touched 37°C.
Experts attributed the unusually warm March to scant snowfall and rainfall in the mountains, warm winds and the broader impact of climate change disrupting weather patterns. Temperatures in Delhi have remained above normal throughout the first week of March, mirroring conditions across large parts of northern India.
Scientists have also warned that temperatures could continue to climb until at least midweek before stabilising for a few days.
“There has been no snowfall this year in the western Himalayas since the end of January, and there was barely any winter rain over the northern plains,” said Mahesh Palawat, vice president at private weather forecaster Skymet Weather.
“Additionally, the western disturbances approaching the Himalayas are feeble and not able to bring snowfall or rain,” he said. Palawat added that dry north-westerly winds sweeping across Delhi, along with relatively slow surface winds, have contributed to the rise in temperatures over the past two days.
“Strong winds earlier helped keep temperatures lower, but now we expect a marginal increase in the coming days,” he said. The Centre’s Early Warning System has also projected that slower winds could push the maximum temperature to around 36°C on Sunday and up to 37°C by Wednesday, before easing slightly to between 34°C and 36°C.
IMD officials said a change in weather could arrive soon, with snowfall and rain expected over the hills from March 9.
“A dry spell is ongoing, which is why the temperature is rising,” said senior IMD scientist R.K. Jenamani. “Over the next couple of days, temperatures may rise by one or two degrees, but from March 9 there may be a dip due to rain and snowfall in the hills.”
According to IMD, temperatures are likely to remain 8–12°C above normal over Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, and 6–8°C above normal across the plains of northwest India over the next two days. Fresh western disturbances may bring scattered rainfall or snowfall over the western Himalayan region between March 9 and 11, potentially lowering temperatures by 5–7°C next week.
Delhi’s maximum temperature has climbed steadily since the start of the month, rising from 30.7°C on March 1 to 34.4°C by March 6.
IMD records show the city’s hottest March day occurred in 1945, when the temperature reached 40.6°C on March 31. In the past 15 years, the highest March temperature was 40.1°C recorded on March 30, 2021. Last year, the hottest March day was 38.9°C on March 26.
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