Strong winds and a dust storm were followed by heavy rains in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR), bringing a welcome drop in temperatures.
Flight operations were severely impacted, as the Delhi airport witnessed average delays of 46 minutes for arrivals and 54 minutes for departures, per FlightRadar.
The Delhi airport assured efforts by the ground staff to ensure a seamless experience, while multiple airlines urged passengers to check the latest status of their flights before heading to the airport.
“Some of our flights to and from Delhi are being delayed or diverted, which is likely to impact our overall flight schedule. We are doing our best to minimize disruptions,” Air India said in its statement on X.
Waterlogging was reported in many parts of Delhi, with visuals emerging from areas like Dwarka, Khanpur, South Extension Ring Road, Minto Road, Lajpat Nagar and Moti Bagh.
While the winds caused trees to be uprooted and the branches of some to fall, the damage to property is yet to be assessed. People have been advised to assess the weather and stay indoors as far as possible.
The temperature in Delhi stood at 19.8 degrees Celsius, with India Meteorological Department’s Nowcast stating that heavy rains, storms and winds of upto 70-80 kmph will be witnessed across Delhi. In some parts of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh, moderate rain was predicted.
The weather department has issued a yellow alert for the national capital till Saturday, forecasting heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, and gusty winds.
On Wednesday evening, the sky had turned cloudy, with the city recording a maximum temperature of 38.1 degrees Celsius, 0.9 notch below the season’s average.
The weather comes as a relief when the IMD said most parts of India are likely to see above-normal temperatures in May, only to get respite from occasional thunderstorms.
Rainfall over north India is expected to be above normal, more than 109 per cent of the long-period average of 64.1 mm. Frequent and intense thunderstorms in May will likely prevent temperatures from rising to the levels seen in May 2024, per the IMD.
