Mercury plummets as rain & hailstorm lash parts of Delhi-NCR

New Delhi: An intense spell of rain accompanied by a thunderstorm and a dust storm hit parts of Delhi-NCR on Thursday, bringing relief from intense heat. Some areas, including east Delhi, Noida and Ghaziabad, were also lashed by a hailstorm.

When the thunderstorm hit the region around noon, it instantly caused temperatures to crash. At Safdarjung, the city’s base station, the mercury plummeted from nearly 40 degrees Celsius to 30°C. Ayanagar, Lodhi Road and Pragati Maidan recorded a fall of 11.7, 11 and 10.8°C, respectively. The highest drop — 17.1 °C — was at Hindon in Ghaziabad.

The mercury, though, is expected to start rising from Friday, with rain unlikely for the next two days. The city may again receive some rain from May 3 to 5.

“The eastern and northeastern parts of Delhi-NCR, including Noida and Ghaziabad, experienced a comparatively larger fall in temperature — between 14 and 17°C — because of the rain and hailstorm,” said Krishna Kumar, an India Meteorological Department (IMD) scientist.

Safdarjung did not receive any rain from 8.30 am to 5.30 pm, but the observatory at Mayur Vihar logged 5.5 mm of rain. During the same period, Noida recorded 8.5 mm and Hindon received 10.5 mm of rain. Though the distribution of showers was uneven, a dust storm swept through the city. The maximum wind speed was recorded at 36 kmph at Safdarjung, 52 kmph at Pusa, 50 kmph at Noida, 48 kmph at Palam and Pitampura, 43 kmph at Lodhi Road, 41 kmph at Pragati Maidan and Jafarpur and 28 kmph at Janakpuri.

The hailstorm was limited to areas like Krishna Nagar, Bhajanpura, Maujpur, Ghonda, Usmanpur, Shashtri Park, Seelampur, Shahdara, Welcome, Delhi-Meerut Expressway, parts of Noida and Sahibhabad.

The maximum temperature during the day was recorded at 39.9°C, nearly a notch above normal. It is likely to stay between 39 and 41°C on Friday and around 40 to 42°C the next day. “A 2 to 3°C rise in the maximum is likely during the next three days followed by a 3 to 4°C fall thereafter,” said a Met official.

A western disturbance is expected to impact the region, with the city set to get some rain from May 3 to 5, the official said. Though no colour-coded warning has been issued, the Met department has predicted light to very light rain, accompanied by gusty winds up to 45 kmph, for May 4 and 5.

Thursday’s minimum temperature settled at 25.4°C, two notches above normal. It is likely to hover around 23 to 25°C on Friday.

Delhi’s air quality continued to remain in the ‘moderate’ range, with an air quality index (AQI) of 148 recorded on Thursday. It is likely to stay in the same range till May 3, according to Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi.
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