A warm night is declared when the maximum temperature remains at 40 degrees Celsius or more and the minimum temperature is between 4.5°C and 6.4°C above normal, according to the IMD. Archive | Photo credit: ANI
Delhi recorded its warmest night in the month of May in nearly 14 years as the minimum temperature settled at 31.9°C on Thursday (May 21, 2026), the met office said.
The last time the minimum temperature was higher than this was on May 26, 2012, when the minimum temperature was set at 32.5°C.
Safdarjung and Lodi Road were among the stations that recorded warm night conditions, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
A warm night is declared when the maximum temperature remains at 40 degrees Celsius or more and the minimum temperature is between 4.5°C and 6.4°C above normal, according to the IMD.
Among the weather stations, Safdarjung recorded a minimum temperature of 31.9°C, 5.2 notches above normal for the season, followed by Ridge at 30.6°C, 4.4 notches above normal.
Palam stood at 30.5°C, 3.4 levels above normal, Lodi Road at 29.6°C, 4.6 levels above normal, and Ayanagar at 27.4°C, 0.7 levels above normal.
The city has been placed under orange alert as the maximum temperature is expected to reach 46°C, with the IMD forecasting heatwave conditions during the day.
The air quality was recorded in the ‘moderate’ category at 9 am on Thursday (May 20, 2026), with the Air Quality Index (AQI) reading at 153, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data showed.
According to the CPCB, an AQI between zero and 50 is considered “good”, 51 to 100 “satisfactory”, 101 to 200 “moderate”, 201 to 300 “bad”, 301 to 400 “very poor” and 401 to 500 “severe”.
Published – May 21, 2026 10:42 am IST