Delhi rains: Heavy showers, strong winds bring relief after days of sweltering heat | WATCH

Delhi and NCR are experiencing moderate to intense rainfall, accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning, and squally winds of 80-100 kmph. India Meteorological Department has advised residents to stay indoors and avoid unnecessary travel.

However, the rainfall and the winds have significantly lowered the temperature in Delhi, offering relief from the intense heatwave conditions, providing a much-needed respite from the scorching heat.

The weather department in a post on X said, “Moderate to intense spell of rainfall with thunderstorms and lightning, squally winds 80-100 kmph is going on over Delhi and NCR Stay indoors and avoid travel unless necessary.”

Visuals from Krishi Bhavan, Rafi Marg, and Udyog Bhawan showed heavy rain accompanied by strong winds lashing the national capital, bringing respite from the heat.

Two thundersqualls along with hailstorm activity were recorded at Safdarjung between 0348 to 0350 hrs IST and 0358 to 0400 hrs IST. The first squall saw gusty winds reaching 82 kmph, while the second saw a peak wind speed of 104 kmph, the IMD said.

The intense wind and rain also disrupted early morning traffic, with waterlogging reported in several low-lying areas.

Watch:

Rain brings relief from blistering heat

A relentless heatwave continued to scorch large parts of north and central India for the sixth consecutive day on Saturday, with maximum temperatures exceeding 45 degrees Celsius in several cities and high temperatures reported in parts of the hilly states.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said maximum temperatures remained more than 5.1 degrees Celsius above the seasonal average in parts of Himachal Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya and at isolated places in sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim.

The national capital also experienced scorching conditions, with maximum temperatures of 42.2 degrees Celsius at Aya Nagar and 42 degrees Celsius at Palam. The heat index, a measure of how hot it feels when humidity is factored in, soared to an alarming 53.8 degrees Celsius in Delhi.

In Uttar Pradesh, Prayagraj and Kanpur recorded highs of 45 and 44.9 degrees Celsius, while Ghazipur (44.5) logged a departure of 6.3 degrees above normal. In Madhya Pradesh, Hoshangabad reported 45.2 degrees Celsius, followed by Khajuraho (44.7 degrees), Nowgong (44.6 degrees) and Gwalior (42.5 degrees).

A nowcast warning issued at 5:05 AM states, “Hail storm/Thunderstorm with moderate to heavy rainfall and lightning (60-100 Km/h gusty winds) is very likely to occur at Jind (Haryana) ."

It further said, “Light to moderate rainfall accompanied with light thunderstorm and lightning (50-80 Km/h gusty winds) is very likely to occur at isolated places of Delhi ( Deramandi), NCR ( Greater Noida, Gurugram, Faridabad, Manesar, Ballabhgarh, Dadri) Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Narwana, Barwala, Sohana, Palwal, Nuh,Hansi (Haryana) Nazibabad, Bijnaur, Chandpur, Jahangirabad, Anupshahar, Shikarpur, Pahasu, Debai, Narora, Atrauli (U.P.) Bhiwari (Rajasthan).”

Light rainfall is very likely to occur at many places of Delhi ,Rajaund, Assandh, Safidon (Haryana) Baraut, Bagpat, Khekra (U.P.) during next 2 hours, IMD said.