Delhi Ridge records 16.9°C as September ends

The Ridge observatory in north Delhi recorded 16.9°C on Tuesday morning, six degrees below normal and the city’s lowest minimum temperature of the day. At Safdarjung, Delhi’s base weather station, the minimum settled at 21°C — two degrees below normal and matching the month’s earlier low recorded on Sunday.

An IMD official said Safdarjung’s 21°C reading was the lowest September minimum in 18 years, apart from 20.8°C recorded on September 6, 2008. Minimum temperatures are expected to remain between 20°C and 22°C over the next two days, while daytime highs are likely to range from 32°C to 34°C.

September brought 79.7mm of rainfall to Delhi, 35.5% below the month’s normal of 123.5mm. There were six rainy days, but showers remained light to moderate and the city recorded no heavy-rain day. The monsoon withdrew on September 23, two days before its usual withdrawal date, after delivering 728.6mm through the season — 16% above the seasonal average.