Rain takes Delhi by storm; IMD issues yellow alert for Thursday and Friday

NEW DELHI: The city saw strong winds, thunderstorm and intense rain towards late Wednesday evening due to a western disturbance and formation of convective clouds, with the Met department expecting more rain over the next few days.

The sudden change in the weather impacted traffic, knocked down trees and led to flight diversions. At least 22 flights that were to land at IGI Airport were diverted and over 300 flights were delayed, according to FlightRadar24, a live tracking website.

India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert, expecting rain and strong winds on Thursday and Friday.

On Wednesday, under the influence of the western disturbance and high moisture levels along with high temperatures, convective clouds formed, which impacted a large part of the city and beyond. By the evening, the wind speed reached 68kmph in the Pragati Maidan area, 65kmph at Pusa and 52kmph at Palam. According to IMD, between 5.30pm and 8pm, Janakpuri received 12mm rain, CRPF camps 11.5mm, Janakpuri 10.5mm, Narayana and Pusa 8mm, Safdarjung 5.6mm, Pragati Maidan 5.5mm, Palam 5.2mm, Lodhi Road 4.5mm, Ayanagar 4mm and Pitampura 2.5mm rain. New Delhi Municipal Council claimed that no complaint of tree falling was received in its areas.

Gurgaon also saw gusty winds picking up around 6.30pm, followed by a thunderstorm and lightning, and a steady rain. According to IMD's Chandigarh centre, it is likely to witness thunderstorm activity with wind speeds of 40-50kmph for the next two days.

The city's base station, Safdarjung, recorded a maximum temperature of 33.8 degrees Celsius, two notches above normal, while the minimum was 18 degrees Celsius, two notches above normal. However, by late evening, the temperature dipped considerably. According to IMD, between 6.45pm and 7.15pm, the temperatures dropped at Palam and Safdarjung by 10 degrees, at Lodhi Road by 9.5 degrees, at Pusa by 7.6 degrees and at Pragati Maidan by 5.7 degrees.

The weather department expects a fall in the maximum temperature. A slight rise of one-two degrees in the maximum temperature has been predicted during the next 24 hours, followed by a gradual fall of four-six degrees during the subsequent three days. Maximum temperatures are likely to be below normal to normal during the next seven days.

One or two spells of very light/light rain is predicted accompanied by thunderstorm/lightning and strong surface winds 30-40kmph gusting to 50kmph in the afternoon to night on Thursday. Another spell of very light/light rain is likely accompanied by thunderstorm lightning and gusty winds of 30-40kmph gusting to 50kmph in the afternoon/evening on Friday, stated IMD.

According to the Met department, the maximum temperature is likely to be 28-30 degrees Celsius on Thursday and 26-28 degrees on Friday.

Meanwhile, the air quality in the city deteriorated to poor levels again on Wednesday. The air quality index was 232 or poor against 189 or moderate on Tuesday. Commission for Air Quality Management, which recently revoked GRAP stage-1 in the wake of improvement in the air quality, stated that it was not going to impose GRAP yet since AQI was showing improving trend.