Heavy rain, thunderstorms in Delhi bring respite from heat; IMD sounds alert, flight ops hit

Delhi NCR Weather Update | IMD Red Alert: The weather department had said that a fresh and active Western disturbance is likely to impact Northwest India from May 2.

Delhi Weather | Noida Weather | Gurugram Weather | IMD Red Alert: Heavy rains and fierce winds swept across Delhi and its surrounding region early Friday morning, bringing much of the Capital to a standstill and prompting the India Meteorological Department to sound a red alert. The met department, however, downgraded the alert status to orange. The IMD warned that the severe weather would continue through the early hours, with thunderstorms, squally winds, and intense rainfall expected to persist.

As of 7 am, the IMD issued a red alert for Delhi, valid for two hours, while much of the surrounding National Capital Region (NCR) remained under orange and yellow alerts. “Intense rainfall, lightning, and gusty winds of 40 to 90 km/hr are likely to continue,” the IMD said in a statement issued at 5:15 am.

The sudden storm system, driven by a dense mass of clouds, triggered waterlogging across several parts of the city, including reports of flooding at the busy Dwarka underpass. At the Delhi airport, flight operations were disrupted, with officials advising passengers to check with airlines for updates on delays.

Winds reached dangerous speeds, clocking 78 km/hr at Pragati Maidan and 74 at Palam, with other areas like Lodhi Road, Pitampura, and Najafgarh also recording gusts of up to 62 km/hr. Rainfall totals varied across the sprawling metropolis: Safdarjung registered 60 mm, while Pitampura saw 40, Palam 30.6, Najafgarh 19.5, and Pusa 15. Lighter showers fell in Delhi University and Narela.

The capital also experienced a marked drop in temperature, falling from a nighttime low of 26.8 degrees Celsius on Thursday to around 19 degrees by Friday morning. According to an IMD advisory, the weather could cause broken tree branches, uprooted trees, damage to crops and plantations, power outages, and communication disruptions. The advisory warned of possible structural damage to weaker buildings and urged residents to remain indoors, avoid travel, and steer clear of trees, water bodies, and metal surfaces.

“Citizens should remain alert and be prepared to move to safer locations if conditions worsen,” the IMD said. The air quality, too, saw a notable improvement. Winds and rains pushed Delhi’s pollution levels down to “moderate” for the first time in weeks, leading the Commission for Air Quality Management to lift emergency restrictions imposed earlier under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).

What does the weather forecast for Delhi-NCR look like?

Looking ahead, forecasters said the turbulent conditions may persist. The IMD predicted strong winds on Saturday, with more thunderstorms and rain likely on May 4 and 5. Cloudy skies and continued chances of showers are expected through May 6 and 7, with daytime temperatures hovering between 26 and 35 degrees Celsius. Independent meteorologist Navdeep Dahiya wrote on X early Friday, “#Delhi NCR experiencing heavy rains and thunderstorm, temperature in the range of 18–21°C. A start of a cool and wet May. We will see more rains and storms this weekend and next week over north and west.”