Friday was the coldest day of March in six years in the city.

Gurgaon: Light rain, storm and strong winds lashed the city on Friday, bringing the minimum temperature to 16 degrees Celsius, 2 notches lower than Thursday’s 18.3 degrees Celsius. The maximum temperature was 21.1 degrees Celsius, which is 3.6 degrees less than the previous day.Independent meteorologist Navdeep Dhaiya called it a “very rare cold day” for north India in late March, noting that maximum temperatures in Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and western Uttar Pradesh are likely to remain between 15-19 degrees Celsius – about 10-15 degrees Celsius below normal. Across the state, the average minimum temperature dropped by 1.2 degrees Celsius compared to the previous day and reached near normal levels. The lowest minimum temperature in the state was 14.3 degrees Celsius in Sonipat.This change has been caused by an active Western Disturbance and associated cyclonic circulation over the region, causing heavy snowfall at higher altitudes. One such place is Lahaul of Himachal Pradesh.In the last 24 hours, the city recorded 6.5 mm rainfall, while Rohtak recorded 22.4 mm rainfall and Narnaul 12.5 mm rainfall. The IMD said the weather is likely to remain dry on March 21, 22 and 24, with isolated rain again likely on March 23, 25 and 26.