‘Severe’ dust storm warning for Delhi-NCR

Officials said dust storms are likely to affect Delhi and other parts of northwest India on Thursday and Friday.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a ‘severe’ weather warning for several parts of the country on Wednesday.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a ‘severe’ weather warning for several parts of the country on Wednesday.

Officials said dust storms are likely to affect Delhi and other parts of northwest India on Thursday and Friday.

“A feeble Western Disturbance is affecting northwest India, but there is no moisture in this region. So, we are only expecting thunderstorms in Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh. The dust storm is a result of heat. There may be thunderstorms in Jammu and Kashmir as well,” said director general of meteorology at IMD, M Mohapatra.

In Delhi, the maximum temperature is likely to drop by 2°-3°C on days the storm hits. On Thursday, wind speed in several parts of northwest India could touch 40-50 kmph.

The maximum temperature on Wednesday was 41.7°C, said officials.

The meteorological department has also warned that a cyclone is developing to the southeast of Sri Lanka, which will impact parts of Tamil Nadu on April 29 and 30.

“A trough of low pressure lies over equatorial Indian Ocean and adjoining southeast Bay of Bengal…The low pressure area is very likely to intensify into a depression during subsequent 36 hours,” IMD said in a bulletin.

Heatwave conditions will continue over Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Vidarbha in Maharashtra for the next three to four days.