New Delhi, March 10 The capital recorded its hottest day of the year so far, with the mercury rising to 36.8 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, 8.4 degrees above normal, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
The maximum temperature at Safdarjung was 36.8 degrees Celsius, while the minimum was recorded at 17.8 degrees Celsius, 3.8 degrees above normal.
Data from individual stations showed the maximum at 35.3 degrees Celsius at the Palam observatory, 37.1 degrees Celsius at Lodhi Road, 37.4 degrees Celsius at Ridge, and 37.4 degrees Celsius at Ayanagar.
The minimum temperature was recorded at 18.1 degrees Celsius in Palam, while Lodhi Road recorded 17.7 degrees Celsius.
The Ridge station recorded the highest minimum temperature among the major observatories at 18.4 degrees Celsius, while Ayanagar registered 16.8 degrees Celsius, according to IMD data.
The weather office has forecast mainly clear skies for Thursday, with maximum and minimum temperatures likely to settle around 36 degrees Celsius and 18 degrees Celsius, respectively.
Meanwhile, the city's air quality remained in the 'poor' category, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 242, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
According to the CPCB classification, an AQI between 0 and 50 is considered 'good', 51 to 100 'satisfactory', 101 to 200 'moderate', 201 to 300 'poor', 301 to 400 'very poor', and 401 to 500 'severe'.