Rain, hail lash parts of Delhi amid 'orange' alert

NEW DELHI: Parts of the national capital witnessed heavy rain and hail on Tuesday as the India Meteorological Department issued an ‘orange’ alert warning of moderate thunderstorms.The alert covers several districts, including New Delhi, Central, West, North West, Outer North, North East, Shahdara and East Delhi, along with parts of South and South West Delhi, with stormy conditions expected to continue through the day.The weather office has also flagged the likelihood of isolated hailstorms in some pockets of the city. It has forecast a maximum temperature of around 33°C, with cloudy skies and rain likely later in the day.According to Mahesh Palawat of Skymet Weather, temperatures are expected to remain below normal due to widespread rainfall activity across north India. Similar conditions may persist over the next one to two days, he said.Meanwhile, Delhi’s air quality saw a noticeable improvement, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 69 in the morning, placing it in the ‘satisfactory’ category as per the Central Pollution Control Board scale.