February weather in India
This is a collection of articles, mainly from the Delhi- based press. |
This page is under construction. Data will continue to be added over the next several years.
February as a whole
Dehradun
Warm Februaries
Highest single-day maximum temperature
31.80 Celsius 26 Feb 2021, almost eight notches above normal and the highest ever in February in recorded history
31.30 Celsius 25 Feb 2021
31.20 Celsius, February 25, 2006
Delhi
Warm Februaries
Highest single-day maximum temperature
From The Times of India (various issues)
Graphic courtesy: [Mercury beats previous day’s record, creates another 15-year February high - The Times Of India - Delhi, 2/26/2021 (timesgroup.com) The Times of India]
34.8 degrees Celsius in 2021 on 25 Feb at the Sports Complex station in east Delhi
34.1 degrees Celsius in 2021 on 25 Feb at Pitampura
33.9 degrees Celsius in 2021 on 24 Feb at the sports complex weather station in east Delhi
33.3 degrees Celsius in 2021 on 24 Feb at Najafgarh and Pitampura
33 degrees Celsius in 2021 on 25 Feb at Safdarjung — seven degrees above normal
32.5 degrees Celsius in 2021 on 24 Feb at Safdarjung, seven notches above normal and then the highest in 15 years, i.e. since 2006
32.1 degrees Celsius in 2006 on February 25,
30° C in 2021, on February 11,
28.1 degrees in 2019 on February 22
27.8 degrees Celsius in February 2020
Highest single-day minimum temperatures
19 degrees Celsius in 2021 on 25 Feb at Pitampura and the Sports Complex station in east Delhi
15.2 degrees Celsius in 2021 on 25 Feb at Safdarjung — three notches above normal
1982-2017: Februaries get warmer
From [ The Times of India ]
Amit.Bhattacharya | Is this end of winter? 30°C likely today| Rain, Hail May Hit North Over The Weekend But Bypass City The Times of India
Temperatures have been hitting 30 in February with increasing regularity in recent years (see graphic), which could be a sign of a warming trend. Last year, the highest temperature recorded during the month was 32.4 degrees C, an 11-year high. The 25-year record for the highest temperature during the month is 34.1 degrees C (on February 26, 2006).
2021: one of the warmest Februaries
Graphic courtesy: [ The Times of India]
Clear skies make this Feb one of the warmest of late
Priyangi.Agarwal@timesgroup.com The Times of India
Though the minimum temperature was normal on most of the days, the maximum was largely recorded higher than normal with the departure range being from 4° to 7° Celsius.
“This February could be among the warmest. Unlike 2019 when six western disturbances impacted the region, only one has passed this month. As a result, very light rain was recorded only on one day, on February 4. Under the influence of a western disturbance, cloud cover is formed, which screens out sunlight and helps decrease the day temperature,” said Kuldeep Srivastava, scientist at IMD and head, Regional Weather Forecasting Centre.
He said that as it was not cloudy and the sky was clear on most of the days, it was making the maximum temperature rise.
Met officials said the maximum temperature touches 30° C usually during the last week of February, but Delhi recorded this temperature, which is seven degrees above normal, on February 11, 2021. The highest day temperature had not reached 30 degrees Celsius in the last two years [2019, 2020].
Cold day or cold wave conditions are usually reported in the first 10 days of February. No cold day or cold wave have been recorded this February.
2006, 1960, 2021: the warmest Febs since 1901
Graphic courtesy: [ The Times of India]
Delhi records 2nd warmest Feb in 120 years
Jasjeev.Gandhiok@timesgroup.com
New Delhi:
The city recorded its second warmest February in the last 120 years with a mean maximum temperature of 27.9 degrees Celsius, eclipsed only by 2006 when the mean maximum temperature was 29.7 degrees, the IMD has said. Maximum temperatures during the month were on average four degrees higher than normal, making it exceptionally warm for February.
The normal maximum for February is 23.9 degrees C, Srivastava said The city last recorded a spell of rain in the first week of February with a western disturbance influencing the region between February 4 and February 7. “After that spell, we have not seen a western disturbance impacting Delhi NCR and this had led to such a spike in temperatures.,” he said.
R K Jenamani, scientist at the IMD said the maximum temperature had been above normal most days in February this year with clear skies and low wind speed a consistent phenomenon. “North India records the highest frequency of western disturbances in February and March. However, only one western disturbance has affected the region in February. In the absence of western disturbances, the wind direction and speed hardly changed on most of these days. Windy conditions were not reported this month as the average wind speed remained below 7 kmph after the first week,” said Jenamani.
Delhi recorded its warmest day of the season on Thursday and the warmest February day in 15 years, when the maximum touched 33.2 degrees Celsius at Safdarjung. A higher temperature in February was last recorded 2006, when the mercury shot up to an all-time high of 34.1 degrees for the month. Incidentally, February 2006 is also the warmest February in the last 120 years. On Wednesday, the maximum in Delhi was 32.5 degrees, while it was 33 degrees Celsius on Friday.
The IMD says at 27.9 degrees, this is the joint second warmest February, alongside February 1960. “Records kept by the IMD since 1901 show 2006 is the all-time high, while 1960 is jointly the warmest now with 2021,” said a met official.
Unusual Feb fog spell
Unusual Feb fog spell may be due to lack of active western disturbance
TIMES NEWS NETWORK/ The Times of India
Despite temperature in the region hovering above normal for over two weeks now, February has still been witnessing unusually dense to very dense fog across Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and the Pakistani belt along Lahore, Amritsar and Hisar.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Friday said never has such a dense fog spell – one generally lasting for several hours over a period of 9-10 consecutive days – been witnessed after February 10.
“In this season, in February 2021, this spell of dense to very dense fog has occurred when night temperature was two to three degrees Celsius above normal, which is something unique,” said R K Jenamani, senior scientist at IMD.
INSAT 3D RGB satellite images captured at 8.45am every day from February 11 to 19, 2021, show a dense fog formation stretching along the northern plains.
“The fog duration has lasted over Punjab, especially at Amritsar airport from 7-8 pm till the next morning until around 9am-10.30am. In Delhi also, three-four mornings very dense fog was witnessed. This is unusual in terms of the long spell and the large areas it is keeping under zero visibility,” Jenamani added.
IMD officials said the last active western disturbance (WD) that impacted the north-western plains was from February 2 to 6, even causing light rain over Delhi, Haryana and Punjab.
“This has caused a stable boundary layer and inversion over these areas at the lower level, along with calm winds, which is collectively causing dense fog to stay for a long period of time,” said Jenamani.
2021: Maximum temp 3°C above normal on 12 days
Maximum temp 3°C above normal on 12 days of February
TIMES NEWS NETWORK The Times of India
New Delhi:
The maximum temperature has remained at least three degrees above normal on 12 of the past 16 days of this February, according to India Meteorological Department (IMD).
This February has been warm due to fewer western disturbances affecting the plains. The maximum temperature is likely to hover around 29-30 degrees Celsius for the next five days, Met officials said. There has been no prediction of western disturbance in the next seven days, they added.
Kuldeep Srivastava, scientist at IMD and head of Regional Weather Forecasting Centre, said, “The day temperature this month has been warmer than the last few years. Only one western disturbance has affected the region this month, while six had impacted hills and plains last February.” Western disturbance leads to cloudy sky, blocking the sunlight. “However, due to less number of western disturbance in the current month, there has been clear sky on most of the days,” he said.
...and cold, wet ones
2014- 2019: coldest, wettest Februaries in Delhi
From The Times of India
Amit.Bhattacharya | This Feb was coldest and wettest in 5 years | The Times of India
From [ The Times of India ]
[In 2019] Delhiites experienced the coolest and wettest February since 2014 with periodic return of chilly conditions that continued till the end of the month, in a weather pattern similar to that seen in January.
The month ended on a particularly chilly note as cold wave conditions developed on 28 Feb, with the minimum temperature plummeting to 6.8°C, six notches below normal.
Met officials said north India continues to be impacted by aftermath of the polar vortex breaking down in the Arctic, which has led to a large number of intense western disturbances (WDs) hitting the region. There were seven in February. “While the season has not seen severe cold spells, temperatures continue to drop every time a WD passes, giving the feel of a long winter,” an official said.
Why Feb had so many wet days, but not heavy rain
Just as in January [2019], [Feb 2019] saw a lot of fairly intense western disturbances (WDs) — low-pressure wind systems that come into north India from the Mediterranean region, bringing in wet weather. Seven WDs impacted the region in February, against a normal of fivesix, the same as in January. This resulted in an unusually high number of nine rainy days during the month, the highest in at least 15 years for which data was scanned.
None of the wet spells resulted in long episodes of heavy rain. The cumulative rainfall in the month was 23.9mm, just 1.8mm higher than normal but nonetheless the highest seen in February since 2014.
“While a high number of WDs hit the region in February drawing moist winds from Arabian Sea, these did not interact with an easterly wave, which brings in moisture from Bay of Bengal. Thus, we saw a large number of rainy days but not very heavy rainfall,” said B P Yadav, head of IMD’s regional meteorological centre.
Temperatures fluctuated in accordance with the movement of the weather disturbances. An approaching WD usually raises temperatures as it draws warmer easterly and southerly winds into the region, and cloudiness makes nights warmer. After the WD has passed, cold northerly and northwesterly winds start blowing, bringing in the chill from the Himalayas.
“As there was very less gap between successive WDs this month, we didn’t have sustained northerly winds and long cold spells, as seen in the second half of December. So, the city didn’t experience very low temperatures,” said M Mohapatra, DGM, IMD.
However, both the mean minimum and maximum temperatures in February —22.5 degrees C and 10.6 degrees Celsius, respectively — were the lowest for the month in five years.
Polar vortex still haunts
In late December [2018], the anti-clockwise current of air spinning around the Arctic region — called the polar vortex — broke down, sending blasts of freezing cold into northern Europe and north America. Its effects have persisted for north India.
“The temperature gradient between areas closer to the Arctic and the mid-latitudes has increased. This has intensified and diversified the mid-latitudinal jet stream winds in the upper atmosphere. That, in turn, have energised the western disturbances that impact north India,” said Mohapatra.
Rainfall
Delhi
48. 8mm rainfall in February 2014,
28. 7mm rainfall in February 2022, Till 26 Feb
1st February
2nd February
Delhi/ 17.9°C mn/ 2018
Delhi’s coldest Feb day in 5 years The Times of India
Delhi recorded its coldest February day on Saturday in nearly five years with the maximum temperature recorded at 17.9 degrees Celsius — four notches below normal for this time of the season. Dense fog was recorded in parts of the capital on Saturday morning.
Other locations across Delhi recorded a similar maximum with Jafarpur being the coldest at 15 degrees Celsius. Palam and Ayanagar, meanwhile, recorded a maximum of 16.6 and 17.2 degrees Celsius, respectively. Delhi’s humidity levels have been oscillating between 80% and 100% in the last 24 hours.
Himachal Pradesh, cold wave/ 2020
Cold weather intensifies in Himachal; Manali, Kufri shiver at sub-zero temperatures | PTI
Shimla, Feb 3 "Cold wave has intensified its grip... The minimum temperature has plummeted 2 to 3 degrees below normal limits while the maximum temperature has settled 1 to 2 degrees below average," said Manmohan Singh, Director of Met Centre, Shimla.
Minimum temperatures
Bhuntar (minus 0.3).
Dalhousie 1.8 °C
Kalpa recorded a low of minus 7.4 degrees Celsius,
Keylong, the Tribal district Lahaul and Spitis administrative centre remained the coldest place in the state at minus 15.6 degrees Celsius, Singh said.
Kufri (minus 1.8)
Manali (minus 3.8),
Shimla 2.5 degrees Celsius .
Una was The warmest place in the state where the maximum temperature settled at 22.6 degrees Celsius.
3rd February
Himachal Pradesh, cold wave intensifies/ 2020
Intense cold wave conditions intensify most parts of HP | PTI
Shimla, Feb 4 (PTI) Intense cold wave conditions sweeping most parts of Himachal Pradesh further intensified as the minimum temperatures dropped by a few notches.
Minimum temperatures:
Bhuntar 1.8 degrees Celsius,
Dharamsala 7.4 degrees Celsius
Kalpa minus 2.4 degrees Celsius,
Keylong was the coldest in the region with a low of minus 8 degrees Celsius,
Manali minus 2.6 degrees Celsius
Nahan 8.4 degrees Celsius.
Palampur 5.6 degrees Celsius,
Shimla 4 degrees Celsius,
Solan 2 degrees Celsius,
Sundernagar 2.3 degrees Celsius,
Una 4.6 degrees Celsius,
4th February
Delhi, dense fog, 23.2°C mx, 8°C mn, 2019
From [Ganesh Chandra, The Times of India ]
As dense fog hit the capital on Monday morning, visibility dropped to as low as 50 metres. Over 250 flights were affected and at least 12 trains delayed.
Visibility at Safdarjung was recorded at 200m at 5.30am. It came down to 100m at 8.30am, a Met official said. At Palam, the visibility was 50m between 5.30am and 8.30am.
Delhi’s maximum temperature stood at 23.2 degrees Celsius on Monday, just two days after recording its coldest February day in nearly five years. On Saturday, Delhi’s maximum temperature had fallen to 17.9 degrees Celsius
The minimum temperature was 8 degrees Celsius.
A minimum runway visual range of 50m is required for a flight to land safely. The minimum RVR for takeoff is 125m.
5th February
6th February
7th February
Delhi/ NCR, hailstorm, 19.1°C mx, 15 °C mn, 2019
From Prem Bisht The Times of India
Hailelujah! Delhi finds itself in eye of a storm Thundershowers, Hail Bring Down Mercury
A spell of rain on Thursday evening, the second of the day, saw parts of Delhi and the National Capital Region enveloped in a blanket of white. The hailstorm gladdened the hearts of people, but disrupted both traffic and flight operations. The accompanying thundershowers brought the mercury plummeting by several degrees. Perhaps the people had not expected the unusual sight of their surroundings covered by hailstones when they woke up to light rain and gradually saw the minimum temperature moving up to 15 degrees Celsius during the day, six notches above normal.
Delhi’s regional Met department attributed the hailstorm to a mixture of factors. “A hailstorm is not unusual for this time of the year,” said B P Yadav, head of IMD’s regional centre. “However, a number of factors contributed to making it severe. There was a confluence of winds coming from Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea which met over northern India. At the same time, jet streams, which are strong winds, were passing over the northern plains and helped in deep cloud formation at the lower level.” Cold winds and low temperatures, with a western disturbance bringing showers over northern India, lead to thundercloud and hail formation.
The maximum temperature in Delhi on Thursday was 19.1 degrees Celsius, four below normal for this time of the season. The capital recorded “trace” rainfall till 8.30 am, but 4.8mm by 8.30 pm. Palam, Lodhi Road and Ridge recorded 3.2mm, 3.8mm and 3.4mm of rainfall, respectively. The humidity levels in the last 24 hours, meanwhile, oscillated between 89 and 100 per cent.
8th February
Delhi, rain, 20.6°C mx, 7°C mn, 2019
Temp dips by 8°C, expect more fog in next 3 days The Times of India
Delhi recorded a dip of eight degrees on Friday, in terms of minimum temperature settling at 7 degree Celsius, compared to Thursday’s reading of 15 degrees following strong showers and hailstorm in the capital.
The spell of rain also brought down Delhi’s air quality in the “moderate” category with the overall AQI recorded at 144 on Friday. According to the India Meteorological Department,
Delhi’s maximum temperature was recorded at 20.6 degrees Celsius on Friday – three notches below normal for this time of the season. The regional met department said Pusa in Delhi recorded the lowest minimum temperature at 6.5 degrees Celsius, while Mungeshpur recorded the lowest maximum at 18 degrees Celsius.
Safdarjung, considered as the base weather station for Delhi, received 4.8mm of rainfall in a 24-hour period till 8.30 am on Friday. However, officials said Ridge and Palam stations received the most rainfall, recording readings 39.3 and 30.4mm of rainfall respectively.
9th February
10th February
11th February
12th February
13th February
14th February
15th February
Delhi/ 15°C mx/ 2018
Delhi had recorded a low maximum temperature on February 15, 2014, when it touched around 15 degrees Celsius, Met officials said.
16th February
17th February
18th February
19th February
20th February
21st February
Delhi/ 32.4°C mx/ 2017
The city recorded 32.4 degrees Celsius on the day last year.
Delhi/ 31.7°C mx/ 2018
2018: At 31.7°C, Delhi sees warmest day in February
New Delhi : Winter may be over with the mercury crossing the 30-degree-Celsius mark for the first time this season. The maximum temperature recorded was 31.7 degrees Celsius – seven notches above normal. It was also the second warmest February 21 in the last decade,
22nd February
Delhi/ 32.4°C mx/ 2017
The capital recorded a maximum of 32.4 degrees Celsius on February 21, 2017.
Delhi/ 32°C mx/ 2018
2018 This Feb 22 warmest in 10 years: Met
New Delhi: Capital’s mercury levels continued on rise on Thursday, as the maximum temperature touched 32 degrees Celsius, making it the warmest day of the season.
Delhi’s maximum temperature was seven notches above normal. This was also the second warmest February day in the last decade Across the capital, the Ridge station recorded the highest maximum temperature at 32.4 degrees Celsius while Palam touched 32 degrees Celsius. Ridge also recorded the highest minimum temperature at 16.2 degrees Celsius. TNN
23rd February
Bhira, Maharashtra / 40°C mx/ 2018
2018 It’s still February, but Bhira in Maharashtra has hit 40°C
Bhira, about 100km from Pune, in Maharashtra, recorded a temperature of 40 °C on Friday. An official from India Meteorological Department told TOI that Bhira was currently the only IMD station in the country where the day temperature had soared to such a level.
24th February
25th February
Delhi, 25.4°C mx, 9.2°C mn, 2019
Temp down, but air deteriorates to ‘poor’
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Evening showers delay over 100 flights
Strong shower and gusty winds lashed the city on Monday evening, bringing down the temperature by a few degrees. However, as the sky remained overcast through out the day, the air quality deteriorated to the ‘poor’ category due to high moisture.
Following the rain, triggered by a western disturbance, Delhi’s minimum fell to 9.2 degrees Celsius, three notches below normal. The maximum temperature was recorded at 25.4 degrees Celsius
26th February
Delhi/ 34.1 °C mx/ 2006
34.1 degrees C (on February 26, 2006): a 25-year record (on the high side).
Delhi, 21°C mx, 8.7°C mn; 2.4mm of rain/ 2019
Rain cools city, improves air; more showers likely today
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
There was light rain in parts of the city on Tuesday evening, accompanied by strong surface winds. The temperature, too, fell in the last 24 hours with the maximum being recorded at 21degrees Celsius — five notches below normal for this time of the season.
The Safdarjung weather station — considered as the base for Delhi’s weather — recorded 2.4mm of rainfall until 8.30am on Tuesday. “Trace” rainfall was also recorded in some locations, met officials added.
The lowest minimum temperature on Tuesday was recorded at Ayanagar at 8.7 degrees Celsius, while the lowest maximum was recorded at Mungeshpur at 19.2 degrees Celsius.
The spell of rain has seen Delhi’s air quality improve to the “moderate” category with an Air Quality Index of 116 — a sharp decline from Monday’s AQI of 217 (poor).
27th February
28th February
Delhi, 6.8°C mn/ 2019
Minimum temperature plummeted to 6.8°C, six notches below normal
29th February
Delhi, 27.3°C/ 16.2°C, 18.5 mm rain: 2020
February 29, 2020: The Times of India
After weekend rain, more likely next week
Thundershowers lashed parts of NCR on 29 Feb evening after the Indian Meteorological Department predicted moderately cloudy skies, strong surface winds, along with very light rain and hail at isolated places. The rains, which lasted for over a couple of hours, resulted in waterlogging in a number of areas in Delhi. As many as 18 flights bound for Delhi’s IGI airport were diverted to Lucknow, Ahmedabad and Jaipur.
Till 8.30pm, the Safdarjung station recorded 18.5 mm rainfall, while Palam recorded 14.8mm.
“An active western disturbance (WD) caused this rain in NCR. Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, north Rajasthan, west UP and East UP were also affected
Earlier people in Delhi woke up to a windy morning with the minimum temperature at 16.2 degrees Celsius, four notches above the season’s average. The maximum temperature was 27.3 degrees Celsius, two notches above normal.
See also
January weather in India <> February weather in India <> March weather in India <> April weather in India <> May weather in India <> June weather in India <> Summers: India<> July weather in India <> August weather in India <> September weather in India <> Monsoons: India<> October weather in India <> November weather in India <> December weather in India <> Winter rains: India <> Winters: India
