After several days of scorching heat with temperatures above 40°C, Delhi-NCR saw a sudden weather change on Wednesday evening. Heavy rain, hailstorms, and strong winds hit the national capital and nearby areas, bringing relief but causing tree falls, waterlogging, and traffic jams.Flight operations at Delhi airport were disrupted, and passengers of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation’s (DMRC) Yellow Line were stranded for hours.Meanwhile, waterlogging was also observed at multiple spots across the city, including near the Akshardham Flyover, Sikandra Road, and under Tilak Bridge close to ITO, causing inconvenience to commuters and residents in these areas.The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said a cloud mass moved from North Delhi south-southeastwards, triggering a dust storm and strong winds
The sudden shift in weather came after the national capital experienced extremely hot and humid conditions, with the heat index reaching 50.2 degrees Celsius due to a combination of high humidity and intense sunshine. On Wednesday, the maximum temperature climbed to 40.7 degrees Celsius, which was 0.5 degrees above the normal average, while humidity fluctuated between 34% and 64%, according to the India Meteorological Department.A 22-year-old man and a person with disabilities lost their lives, while at least 11 others were injured in separate incidents linked to the sudden rainfall in Delhi on Wednesday evening, PTI reported citing police. The intense hailstorm wreaked havoc across the city, disrupting traffic on major routes including Delhi-Noida, Delhi-Ghaziabad, and Delhi-Gurugram roads, and uprooting numerous trees. Social media was flooded with videos and images showing trees falling on moving vehicles. One such tree also fell on a parked car on Mathura Road,Due to the heavy rain and thunderstorm, at least 13 flights at Delhi airport were diverted on Wednesday. Sources told PTI that 12 flights were redirected to Jaipur, while one international flight was rerouted to Mumbai, causing significant disruption to flight operations.Multiple areas in Delhi experienced power outages late Wednesday evening as the thunderstorm and hailstorm caused damage to electricity infrastructure. Falling trees and branches affected power lines, leading to interruptions in electricity supply in several parts of the city, especially in northern localities like Bawana, Narela, Jahangirpuri, Civil Lines, Shakti Nagar, Model Town, Wazirabad, and Dhirpur, according to statements from BSES’s BRPL and BYPL.
