New Delhi, Feb. 23 -- The Capital sweated it out on Sunday as the maximum temperature climbed to 29.7degC - four degrees above the normal for this time of the year and up from the previous day's 28.1degC. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasts the maximum temperature to rise to 33degC by February 27-28, ending the month on a fairly warm note. IMD data shows that the maximum temperature in February breached 33degC only twice between 2010 and 2025 - 33.6degC in 2023 (February 21) and 33.2degC in 2021 (February 26). The all-time high for the month stands at 34.1degC, recorded on February 26, 2006, according to the data. Meanwhile, Delhi's air quality remained in the "poor" category. The 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) stood at 229 at 4pm on Sunday. Forecasts show no significant change in air quality ahead. Notably, the long-period average (LPA) for the period from February 25 to March 1 is 26.1degC - making a spike to 33degC a large anomaly. The IMD said clear skies and the absence of a western disturbance are likely to cause this spike. "Clear blue skies will persist in the region till the end of the month. No weather feature or rain is likely in the coming days, so the maximum temperature is likely to rise by 2-3degC till February 28," said an IMD official. So far, the highest maximum this month has been 31.6degC - which was recorded on February 16. This was the earliest in four years that the maximum crossed 30degC. It was 30.9degC on February 17 too, before a western disturbance brought overcast skies and patchy rain, leading to a sharp dip in maximum to 21.1degC on February 18. "Since the western disturbance was fairly weak, it only controlled the maximum for a day before it began rising again. With no rain immediately ahead, it will spike further," said Mahesh Palawat, vice president at Skymet....