Delhi Records Hottest First Week Of March In 50 Years At 35.7°C: IMD

Last Updated:March 08, 2026, 09:10 IST

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.

Women walk under umbrellas on a hot summer day, in New Delhi. (File Photo/PTI)

Several north Indian states are witnessing a steady rise in temperatures, with Delhi recording a maximum of 35.7°C on Saturday, the highest temperature logged in the first week of the month in the past 50 years, an official from the India Meteorological Department told news agency PTI.

According to weather records from the past 50 years, the earlier highest maximum temperature recorded during the first seven days of March at Safdarjung Observatory, the city’s base weather station in Delhi, was 34.8°C, 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.

The Safdarjung Observatory, the primary weather station in Delhi, recorded a maximum temperature of 35.7°C on Saturday, 7.3 degrees above normal, while the minimum temperature settled at 17.4°C, 3.4 degrees above the seasonal average.

According to the IMD data 2011 onwards, 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.

In neighbouring Haryana, the average maximum temperature was significantly above normal by 6.2°C, with the highest reading of 36.3°C recorded in Hisar.

Meanwhile, temperatures have been steadily rising in Uttarakhand, particularly in Dehradun and surrounding areas over the past few days. According to official data, the city’s minimum temperature climbed sharply in the last two to three days, rising from 12°C to 17.8°C on Saturday — about six degrees above normal.

Maximum temperatures have remained around 30–31°C over the past two to three days. On Saturday, the maximum temperature reached 31.5°C, about five degrees above normal.

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