Delhi to remain warm, air quality in ‘poor’ band

Delhi continued to experience warmer than usual days even as nights remained relatively cool, with no rainfall recorded across the city, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

According to the IMD, Safdarjung, the city’s base station, recorded a maximum temperature of 28.5 degrees Celsius on Sunday (February 15, 2026), 4.1 degrees above normal. Similar conditions prevailed across other parts of the capital, with the Ridge logging 28.8 degrees Celsius, which is 5.7 notches above normal, while Lodi Road and Ayanagar also saw day temperatures more than five degrees above the seasonal average.

The minimum temperature at Safdarjung settled at 10.1 degrees Celsius, slightly below normal, while Ayanagar recorded 9.4 degrees Celsius, 1.5 degrees below the average. Palam was relatively warmer at night at 11.6 degrees Celsius.

Delhi’s air quality remained poor on Monday (February 16, 2026) morning, with the average Air Quality Index (AQI) settling at 218, in the ‘poor’ category as per the Sameer app.

The air quality was ‘poor’ at 25 stations while it was ‘moderate ‘ at 12 stations. As per the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) Sameer app, Shadipur, which recorded an AQI of 308, was the highest amongst all the stations (data for two stations was not available while writing this report).

According to the CPCB, 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’.

Delhi’s air quality is likely to remain in the ‘poor’ category till Tuesday. The outlook for the subsequent six days also states that the air quality is likely to remain in the same band, according to the Air Quality Early Warning System (AQEWS). No rainfall was recorded in the 24 hours ending 8:30 a.m. on Monday at any of the city’s observatories, the IMD said, indicating dry weather conditions prevailing over the national capital region.

Mist is likely at many places in Delhi during the morning with a partly cloudy sky becoming generally cloudy sky towards afternoon/evening, the IMD said. Further, the maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to range between 27 and 29 degrees Celsius and 13 and 15 degrees Celsius, respectively.

According to IMD, expected maximum temperatures, while writing this report, during the day will be above normal. Surface winds, likely to be from the east, will be 5 kmph and are expected to gain speed later in the day.