Delhi records minimum temperature of 16.2 deg C, two notches below normal

Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 16.2 degrees Celsius on Friday morning, two notches below normal, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

Winds gusting up to 30 kilometres per hour are likely to keep the mercury in check during the day, it said, adding that the maximum temperature is likely to settle around 34 degrees Celsius.

The city recorded a maximum of 34 degrees Celsius and a minimum of 18.4 degrees Celsius on Thursday, normal for this time of the year.

The capital had recorded a mean maximum temperature of 33.1 degrees Celsius last month, making it the "hottest" March in 11 years, according to the IMD.

It was the highest mean maximum temperature recorded here in March since 2010, when it was 34.1 degrees Celsius.

Normally, the mean maximum temperature for the month of March in Delhi is 29.6 degrees Celsius, according to the IMD.

On Monday, the city reeled under a "severe" heat wave and the maximum temperature shot up to 40.1 degrees Celsius, making it the hottest day in March in 76 years, the IMD had then said.

Delhi had recorded a maximum of40.5 degrees Celsius on March 31, 1945 and39.6 degrees Celsius on March 29, 1973, according to the IMD.