65kmph winds, 400 flights delayed and a 19°C temperature crash: How Delhi's storm unfolded

NEW DELHI: A thunderstorm accompanied by a dust storm, lightning, rain and gusty winds of up to 65 kmph swept through parts of the city on Thursday, triggering a sharp drop in temperature. The met department has issued a yellow alert for Friday, warning of very light to light rain accompanied by gusty winds of up to 60 kmph.

Palam recorded the highest wind speed of 65 kmph, disrupting flight operations. As many as 13 flights had to circle around the Delhi airport during the thunderstorm. Of these, 11 were diverted to Lucknow, Jaipur and Chandigarh, while the remaining two landed safely. According to flight-tracking website FlightRadar24, more than 400 flights were delayed through the day.

At Safdarjung, the city’s base station, the maximum temperature on Thursday crossed the 40 degrees Celsius mark for the first time in six days, settling at 40.5 degrees Celsius, one degree above normal. Following the thunderstorm, the mercury dipped sharply to 31 degrees Celsius, marking a drop of nine degrees.

The steepest fall in temperature was recorded at Ayanagar, where it plunged by 19 degrees, from 41.7 degrees Celsius to 22.7 degrees, after the storm. This was followed by Mayur Vihar, which saw a drop of 15 degrees.

Rainfall, however, was uneven across the city. Between 8.30 am and 5.30 pm, Ayanagar recorded the highest rainfall at 27.8 mm, followed by Mayur Vihar (24.5 mm) and Rajghat (12.8 mm). In contrast, Safdarjung and Lodhi Road received just 1.6 mm and 4 mm of rain during the same period. In neighbouring Gautam Buddh Nagar district, Dadri recorded wind speeds of up to 93 kmph.

Explaining the weather conditions, Krishna Mishra, scientist at the India Meteorological Department, said, “Under the influence of a western disturbance, circulation over Central Pakistan and a trough from Central Pakistan to northeast Arabian Sea at lower level led to rain and thunderstorm activity on Thursday. Due to the transport of moisture from the Arabian Sea, the city received rain.”

The city is likely to witness rain on Friday and Saturday, though no colour-coded warning has been issued for Saturday. The met department has forecast the maximum temperature to remain between 36 and 38 degrees Celsius on Friday, with a further dip to around 35-37 degrees Celsius on Saturday. Clear skies are expected from Sunday, after which temperatures could rise again, potentially crossing 40 degrees Celsius by June 8.

The minimum temperature on Thursday settled at 29.7 degrees Celsius, three degrees above normal.

Meanwhile, Delhi’s air quality remained in the ‘satisfactory’ category, with an AQI of 164, compared to 143 a day earlier.