Gurgaon: For the first time this season, the

maximum temperature

in the city on Sunday reached 30 degrees Celsius, 0.4 degrees higher than the previous day and 1.1 degrees higher than normal. The minimum temperature was 12.8 degrees Celsius, 0.2 degrees higher than the seasonal average and 1.3 degrees higher than the previous day.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), residents can expect even warmer days ahead as maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to rise by two degrees Celsius in the next three days. In addition, the city may witness a partly cloudy sky with a possibility of rain or thunderstorms on March 15 due to a fresh

western disturbance

, the Met department said.
The city experienced humidity levels oscillating between 40% and 43% on Sunday. Meanwhile, the city's air quality saw a sharp deterioration at a 'poor' reading of 225 on Sunday against the previous day's 'moderate' 200.
Priya Yadav, a resident of Sector-57, said, "It feels like summer is already here. The mornings are still pleasant, but the afternoons are getting quite hot. I hope this isn't a sign of an extremely hot summer ahead."

According to CPCB guidelines, ‘poor' AQI can cause breathing difficulties during prolonged exposure, while ‘moderate' AQI can trigger respiratory discomfort in individuals with asthma or cardiopulmonary ailments. An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered ‘good', 51 and 100 ‘satisfactory', 101 and 200 ‘moderate', 201 and 300 ‘poor', 301 and 400 ‘very poor', and 401 and 500 ‘severe'.
Meanwhile, Delhi recorded the hottest day of the year on Sunday as the mercury touching 32.8 degrees Celsius, four degrees above normal, at Safdarjung, the city's base station. It was 31.1 degrees Celsius on Saturday.
The day temperature is likely to rise further over the next few days, but a western disturbance, which may cause very light rain on Holi on Friday, is expected to bring down the mercury.
Before Sunday, the highest maximum temperature of the year was recorded on Feb 27 at 32.4 degrees Celsius. Pitampura was the second hottest station on Sunday after Safdarjung. The maximum temperature reached 32.5 degrees there.
According to the India Meteorological Department, the maximum temperature is likely to rise further to close to around 33 degrees Celsius on Monday and 34 on Tuesday. "Under the influence of a fresh western disturbance, the city may see cloudiness on Thursday and very light rainfall on Friday. It is likely to cause a marginal dip in maximum temperature," a Met official said.
The minimum temperature on Sunday was 13.5 degrees Celsius, a degree below normal, at Safdarjung. It was 13.4 degrees Celsius on Saturday. Similar to the day temperature, the nights are predicted to turn warmer. The Met department has predicted that the minimum is likely to rise to 15-16 degrees Celsius over the next few days.
Delhi's air quality deteriorated on Sunday and entered the poor range of the Air Quality Index (AQI) as wind speed dropped during the day. The AQI was 209 at 4pm, compared to 158 in the moderate range a day earlier.
According to the Air Quality Early Warning System, the forecasting body under the Union ministry of earth sciences, the air quality is likely to remain poor till Tuesday. It may improve to moderate on Wednesday if wind speed rises.