Strong winds, dust storms, and heavy rainfall lashed Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) this morning, disrupting daily life and delaying around 200 flights. In a heartbreaking incident in Dwarka, a woman and her three children were killed when a tree, uprooted by the powerful winds, fell onto their room.
Three flights bound for Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport were diverted to Ahmedabad and Jaipur due to the adverse weather conditions. Among them were flights from Bengaluru and Pune, both rerouted to Jaipur. According to FlightRadar, the Delhi airport experienced average delays of 21 minutes for arrivals and 61 minutes for departures.
The Delhi airport assured that ground staff were working diligently to manage operations and minimize inconvenience, while several airlines advised passengers to check the latest flight updates before leaving for 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.
Strong winds disrupted railway operations in the Delhi division, delaying around 15 to 20 trains after trees fell onto overhead wires. Waterlogging was reported across several parts of the city, with visuals surfacing from areas such as Dwarka, Khanpur, South Extension Ring Road, Minto Road, Lajpat Nagar, and Moti Bagh.
The winds also uprooted trees and caused branches to snap, though the full extent of property damage is still being assessed. Authorities have urged residents to monitor weather updates and remain indoors whenever 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.
According to IMD data, in the last three hours, the Safdarjung weather station, the city’s primary observatory, recorded 77mm of rainfall. Lodhi road recorded 78 mm, Palam recorded 30 mm, Najafgarh 19.5 mm, and Pitampura 32 mm of rainfall.
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 over Delhi turned cloudy as the city recorded a maximum temperature of 38.1°C, slightly below the seasonal average by 0.9 degrees.
The current spell of rain and storms comes as a welcome relief, especially after the IMD forecast above-normal temperatures for most parts of India in May, with only brief respites from thunderstorms. However, rainfall over north India is expected to be above normal—exceeding 109 per cent of the long-period average of 64.1 mm.
According to the IMD, frequent and intense thunderstorms throughout May are likely to keep temperatures from reaching the extreme highs witnessed in May 2024.
👉 Click here to read the latest Gujarat news on TheLiveAhmedabad.com