New Delhi: A sudden dust storm followed by heavy rain hit several parts of Delhi-NCR on Sunday afternoon, plunging the region into near-darkness during the day. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had already predicted partly cloudy skies, lightning, and thunderstorms for the day and has now issued a ‘Yellow Alert’ for multiple regions of the national capital.
Dark clouds rolled into Delhi and its adjoining areas, including Noida, Gurugram, and Faridabad, as wind speeds picked up rapidly. Shortly after, heavy showers brought relief from the scorching heat, but also led to widespread disruption. Several trees were uprooted due to strong winds, causing traffic jams across various parts of the city.
According to the IMD, storm clouds moving east and southeast triggered wind speeds between 30 to 50 kmph in southern parts of Delhi. In some areas, the gusts intensified. For instance, Palam reported winds at 65 kmph, Jharoda Kalan at 37 kmph, and Safdarjung saw gusts up to 66 kmph between 4:35 PM and 4:37 PM. The strongest wind gust was recorded at 76 kmph at Pragati Maidan at 4:45 PM.
The department explained that this abrupt weather change was due to the interaction of multiple active weather systems. The maximum temperature in the city dropped to 37.9°C, which is 2.1°C below the seasonal average. Relative humidity fluctuated between 56% and 98% throughout the day.
Looking ahead, the IMD has forecast thunderstorms, lightning, and strong winds (40–50 kmph) for Monday. The maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to hover around 37°C and 21°C, respectively.
Meanwhile, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) reported an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 197 at 4 PM on Sunday, placing it in the ‘Moderate’ category. According to CPCB standards:
- 0–50: Good
- 51–100: Satisfactory
- 101–200: Moderate
- 201–300: Poor
- 301–400: Very Poor
- 401–500: Severe
In other parts of the country, over 78,000 people in 15 districts of Assam have been severely affected by floods and landslides, with eight casualties reported so far.
Stay updated with further alerts and advisories from IMD and local authorities as the weather continues to remain unstable.