Weather update: Why is it so cold and windy in Delhi-NCR in March?

Delhi woke up to a windy morning on Thursday as snow covered the mountains of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Jammu and Kashmir.

 On Wednesday, Delhi also experienced a windy day as strong surface winds, with speed ranging from 20-30 kmph, prevailed throughout the day.

The daytime temperature recorded a high of 25 degrees Celsius, 2.4 notches below the normal, while the minimum temperature settled at 11.8 degrees Celsius, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

The weather department has predicted strong surface winds for Thursday, likely from the northwest direction, with wind speed ranging from 14-18 kmph during morning hours.

The wind speed is expected to gradually decrease thereafter, settling between 12 and 14 kmph from the northwest direction in the afternoon, the IMD said.

Private forecaster Skymet said the wind speed will decrease from Friday, when the temperature will start rising gradually.

The maximum and minimum temperatures in Delhi on Thursday are expected to settle around 29 and 13 degrees celsius, respectively, the IMD said.

Delhi's air quality remained in the 'moderate' category on Wednesday, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 119, as per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

An AQI between zero and 50 is considered 'good', 51 and 100 'satisfactory', 101 and 200 'moderate', 201 and 300 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', and 401 and 500 'severe'.

Windy and cold conditions are expected to last till…

The Met Department reports that the recent snowfall in the mountains is gradually affecting the plains, bringing with it chilly winds and mild drizzle to Delhi and the neighbouring areas.

The sudden dip in temperature has also affected residents in states like Uttar Pradesh, Delhi-NCR, Rajasthan, Punjab, and Haryana. 

After March 6, temperatures are expected to rise, providing some respite from the cold, according to the Meteorological Department. For the next 24 hours, the western Himalayan region is forecast to have mild to moderate rain and snowfall, followed by drier conditions, according to Skymet Weather.

(with inputs from PTI)