Over 500 flights delayed after Delhi battered by 100km/hour winds, hailstorm

After 8pm, weather conditions deteriorated sharply again, prompting the IMD to issue an orange alert for north, south-west, south and south-east Delhi

Weather changed dramatically in the capital on Wednesday evening, with Delhi first being hit by strong winds reaching up to 100km/hr, followed by intense localised showers and hail in some areas. The sudden weather shift disrupted flight operations, with over 500 flights delayed, 15 diverted and six forced to carry out “go-arounds” due to bad weather, said officials..

Commuters at chanakyapuri in New Delhi, after the sudden rain on Wednesday. (Sanjeev Verma/HT Photo)

Weather scientists said high daytime temperatures and moisture associated with a prevailing western disturbance triggered the rain and hailstorm activity. Palam recorded the highest wind speed at 98km/hr, followed by Safdarjung and Pusa at 72km/hr.

Earlier in the day, Delhi had witnessed a brief spell of drizzle and gusty winds that brought fleeting relief from the heat, but humidity and bright sunshine pushed the “feels like” temperature close to 44°C by evening, even though the actual maximum remained below 40°C, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

After 8pm, weather conditions deteriorated sharply again, prompting the IMD to issue an orange alert for north, south-west, south and south-east Delhi.

“We had extremely strong winds, touching 98km/hr. There was also a dip in temperature after 8pm across most parts of the city by 10-11 degrees,” an IMD official said.

Residents reported hail in parts of south and south-west Delhi, including Dhaula Kuan, Moti Bagh and Uttam Nagar. Till 8.30pm, Palam recorded 2mm of rainfall and Safdarjung 1.8mm.

The IMD said no further rain is expected from Thursday onwards, with dry westerly to northwesterly winds set to return over the weekend. Maximum temperatures are likely to rise steadily and touch 42°C by Sunday.

“No rain is expected from Thursday, so there will be a gradual rise in temperature across northwest India over the next seven days, including over Delhi, where it can rise by 3-4 degrees,” an IMD official said.

Mahesh Palawat, vice-president at Skymet, said temperatures would rise rapidly across northwest India due to the absence of western disturbances and the formation of an anti-cyclone over the Arabian Sea, which will pull dry winds from the Middle East towards Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

“We can expect heatwave to severe heatwave conditions in parts of the country by the weekend. Already, the maximum has crossed 48°C in Rajasthan,” he said.

Delhi’s minimum temperature on Wednesday settled at 26.4°C, a degree below normal, and is likely to remain between 26°C and 28°C over the next three days, the IMD said.

Meanwhile, Delhi’s air quality remained in the ‘moderate’ category, with a 24-hour average AQI of 147, compared with 170 the previous day. According to the Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi (EWS), air quality is likely to remain ‘moderate’ till Saturday before fluctuating between the ‘moderate’ and ‘poor’ categories over the following six days.