New Delhi: Heavy rainfall, accompanied by thunderstorms, gusty winds, and hail, lashed Delhi and its adjoining National Capital Region (NCR) early Friday morning, leading to widespread disruption. Over 40 flights were diverted and nearly 100 delayed as the weather caused disruption across the national capital. Tragedy struck in Dwarka’s Jaffarpur Kalan, where strong winds caused a neem tree to fall on a tube well room in Khadkhadi Nahar village. The collapse of the structure led to the deaths of a 26-year-old woman, Jyoti, and her three children.
India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert for Delhi on Friday morning, warning of severe thunderstorms and squally winds reaching 70-80 kmph. However, by late morning, this was downgraded to an orange alert. The intense weather event was marked by rapid temperature drops and high wind speeds across various parts of the city. Waterlogging crippled movement in several areas, including Lajpat Nagar, RK Puram, and Dwarka, adding to morning rush-hour woes. Following the advisory issued by the India Meteorological Department this morning, we would like to confirm that the airport is operating as normal, despite some impact on flight operations due to adverse weather conditions. Our on-ground teams are diligently working with all stakeholders to ensure a seamless and efficient passenger experience. Passengers are requested to stay in touch with their respective airlines for the latest flight updates.”
Severe thunderstorms with squally winds and heavy rainfall are likely in parts of north, east and south India in the next two to three hours, the IMD said on Thursday night. In Odisha, lightning with moderate to heavy rainfall was likely in Kandhamal, Kalahandi and Rayagada in the next two hours, the IMD forecast said. Wind speeds are likely to reach 60-70 kilometres per hour, the IMD said. Severe thunderstorms with lightning, squally winds and hailstorms/rainfall were predicted in north Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, southwest Rajasthan, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, south Gangetic West Bengal and north coastal Andhra Pradesh.
People have been advised to take shelter in pucca structures, avoid taking shelter under trees, and stay away from electric poles and live wires. Farmers have been asked to suspend their operations due to the inclement weather forecast. On Monday, a number of trees fell at Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi’s official residence as heavy rainfall and strong winds from the nor’wester – Kalbaisakhi – swept through the state. Though the storm provided relief from a two-week-long heatwave, it also caused widespread destruction across Odisha.
