The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the Delhi sky is expected to remain partly cloudy, with more rain and thunderstorms likely on Friday and Saturday.
According to the IMD's weekly forecast, Delhi weather will see mix conditions over the coming days. On May 22, the sky is expected to remain partly cloudy with a chance of thunder and lightning.
Thunderstorms accompanied by rain are likely on May 23 and 24. On May 25 and 26, the sky will again be partly cloudy with the possibility of thunder and lightning. Rain or thundershowers are predicted on May 27, as per the weather department.
“The sky will stay partly cloudy today. Thunderstorms with rain are likely over the next two days,” news agency PTI quoted an IMD official, as saying.
This comes as a powerful storm with rain, hail, and strong winds struck Delhi, Noida, Gurgaon, and Ghaziabad on Wednesday evening causing a sharp drop in temperature on Thursday morning. The IMD recorded 12 mm of rain in the last 24 hours.
The minimum temperature in Delhi fell to 20.8°C — 5.9°C below the normal. This followed Wednesday's record high of 30.2°C, the highest minimum temperature recorded so far this season.
{{/usCountry}}The minimum temperature in Delhi fell to 20.8°C — 5.9°C below the normal. This followed Wednesday's record high of 30.2°C, the highest minimum temperature recorded so far this season.
{{/usCountry}}The maximum temperature in Delhi today is expected to reach around 40°C.
Delhi Air quality remains poor
Despite the rain, Delhi's air quality remained in the ‘poor’ category on Thursday morning. The Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 297 at 9 am, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
AQI between 201 and 300 is considered ‘poor’, while 301–400 is ‘very poor’, and anything above 400 is ‘severe’.
Rain wreak havoc in Delhi, NCR
The storm brought high wind speeds across the National Capital Region. The weather office reported wind gusts reaching 60–70 kmph. Palam recorded wind speeds up to 72 kmph (40 knots), damaging structures and trees across the city.
Police confirmed that two people died, including a 22-year-old man and a person with a disability, in separate incidents related to the storm. At least 11 others suffered injuries.
“Rain and high-speed winds caused trees to fall and disrupted movement on the roads,” said an official.
Thunderstorm in Delhi disrupts metro, flights
The sudden weather in Delhi caused chaos across the region, uprooting trees, damaging infrastructure, and halting transport.
The thunderstorm in Delhi affected metro services, flight operations, and power supply. Strong winds damaged overhead equipment on several Delhi Metro lines, including the Red, Yellow, and Pink lines, leading to delays and partial suspensions.
Flights at Delhi airport were either delayed or diverted due to low visibility and adverse weather conditions.
Localities such as Bawana, Narela, Jahangirpuri, Civil Lines, Shakti Nagar, Model Town, Wazirabad, Dhirpur, and Burari experienced power outages. Power distributor BSES said teams were working to restore supply quickly.
(With PTI, ANI inputs)