The India Meteorological Department on Tuesday put almost all the cities in Delhi-NCR on an orange alert, predicting a likely hailstorm in Noida, Gurugram, Ghaziabad and Faridabad.
The national capital, Delhi, however, remains on a yellow alert, with thunderstorms and lightning likely, the IMD website said.
Several videos shared on social media by residents showed hail falling on Noida roads.
Earlier in the day, parts of Delhi experienced light to moderate rainfall. The IMD had issued a red alert for certain areas of the city and an orange alert for others, warning residents of ongoing rainfall and possible disruption.
The previous weather alerts were valid until 1:30 PM, and the IMD advised commuters and residents to exercise caution during that period.
The AQI relief
The rain is expected to bring relief from the deteriorating air quality in the national capital, which fell back into the ‘very poor’ category on Tuesday morning, with the CPCB’s Sameer app recording an AQI reading of 310. This comes just days after a brief improvement following nearly a day-long spell of rain earlier this week.
Gurugram recorded a “very poor” AQI on Tuesday, with the air quality at 303. Out of four stations in Gurugram, two stations recorded “moderate” AQI, while one station recorded “very poor” AQI, and the remaining station was not recorded.
Delhi's Coldest Republic Day in 5 Years
{{/usCountry}}Gurugram recorded a “very poor” AQI on Tuesday, with the air quality at 303. Out of four stations in Gurugram, two stations recorded “moderate” AQI, while one station recorded “very poor” AQI, and the remaining station was not recorded.
Delhi's Coldest Republic Day in 5 Years
{{/usCountry}}With a fresh Western Disturbance weather phenomenon hitting North India starting Monday, the Himalayan regions of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir received snowfall, blocking roads and disrupting air and rail traffic.
Delhi saw the coldest Republic Day in 5 years, with parts of the national capital experiencing extreme coldwave conditions on January 26. The temperature dipped to 3.6 degrees Celsius yesterday, prompting shivers across the city.
The capital last recorded a low temperature in 2021, when the mercury dipped to 2.1 degrees Celsius. According to officials, the sharp dip in minimum temperature was caused by clear skies and sustained icy northwesterly winds, recorded over the weekend, as HT had reported earlier.