IMD issues red alert as thunderstorm, rain lash Delhi-NCR early morning

More rain and thunderstorm activity is expected on Sunday, with the possibility of hailstorms in isolated areas: India meteorological department

Published on: Jun 15, 2025, 09:41:20 IST

By Jasjeev Gandhiok

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New Delhi: Delhi and the national capital region (NCR) were hit by a severe thunderstorm early Sunday, bringing light to moderate rain, squally winds exceeding 100 km/hr, and hail in isolated areas, leading to a dip in temperature.

More rain and thunderstorm activity is expected on Sunday, with the possibility of hailstorms in isolated areas, the India meteorological department (IMD) has said, issuing a red alert for the city until around noon.

Temperature dipped from around 35°C (recorded at 2:30 am) to 27°C (recorded at 4:30 am).

“During this spell, light to moderate rainfall was recorded, with Safdarjung also recording hail. Across the city, strong winds between 50 and 100 km/hr were recorded and visibility dipped from 4,000 metres at 2 a.m. to around 1,500 metres at 3 a.m. due to dust upliftment,” an IMD official said.

The IMD said two prominent thundersqualls were recorded at Safdarjung — the first between 3:48 and 3:50 am, when wind speeds reached 84 km/hr. The second occurred between 3:58 and 4:00 a.m., with a maximum wind speed of 104 km/hr — the strongest recorded this season.

Prior to this, the highest wind speed was 96 km/hr, recorded on June 1.

Also Read: Delhi’s infamous Mungeshpur weather station sees heatwave on reopening day

According to IMD data till 5:30 am, Safdarjung had logged 42 mm of rainfall, 15.3 mm at Palam, 9 mm at Delhi University, and 29 mm at Pusa.

The IMD has forecast more rain till noon, with another intense spell of rain and thunderstorm activity likely. “Fresh storms are expected in the first half of Sunday, which will see rain and winds gusting up to 80 km/hr,” the official added.

The rain and thunderstorm activity is likely to bring some relief from the heat that had gripped the capital.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jasjeev Gandhiok
Jasjeev Gandhiok is an Assistant Editor with Hindustan Times, where he covers environment, climate change, the clean energy transition and wildlife at the National Bureau. Gandhiok has over a decade of experience in journalism and is based in Delhi. He has reported extensively on Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR). This includes the region's air pollution woes, a polluted Yamuna and on urban wildlife still thriving in the region. He joined HT in October 2021. Prior to that, he had five-year stint at The Times of India in Delhi, where he also covered Delhi, with a focus on environment and wildlife. Gandhiok has covered some recent events around the Capital too, ranging from the farmers' protests, the northeast Delhi riots and the CAA-NRC protests, reporting from the ground on all of these. He also travels across the country to report on how environment and climate change impact everyday life, while also writing on endangered species. His reports in 2019 on toxic leachate from Delhi's landfills led to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) taking suo motu cognisance and ultimately asking the state government to start bio-mining to flatten and remove all three landfills in the capital. He also closely tracks the implementation of government policies on climate, renewable energy and environmental protection. His focus remains on impactful, public-interest journalism which explains how environmental decisions affect people's everyday lives.Read More

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