Heavy Rain, Thunderstorms Bring Relief from Scorching Heat in Delhi-NCR

NEW DELHI:
Severe thunderstorms and rain on Friday morning brought much-needed relief to the people in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR), including Noida, from the persistent heatwave.

At 5:19 a.m., the IMD, in a post on X, said severe thunder lightning, squally winds 70-80 kmph, is likely over Delhi during the next two hours.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had forecast heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, and gusty winds over the next three days, issuing a yellow alert for the national capital.

According to the IMD’s weekly forecast, thunderstorms with ran are expected on Friday and Saturday, which may lead to a slight dip in temperatures.

Earlier, the IMD predicted that moderate to intense rainfall, accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds reaching 40–90 km/hr, is likely to continue over the next two hours in several areas, including Delhi and the NCR.

Affected regions also included parts of Haryana (Yamunanagar, Karnal, Safidon, Panipat, Sohana, Palwal, Nuh, Aurangabad, Hodal), Uttar Pradesh (Gangoh, Shamli, Kandhla, Nandgaon, Barsana, Raya, Hathras, Mathura, Sadabad, Agra, Jajau), and Rajasthan (Bhiwari, Deeg, Bharatpur).

A fresh and active Western disturbance is likely to impact northwest India from May 2. Under its influence, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit, Baltistan, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand will experience light to moderate rainfall coupled with heavy winds and lightning.

The IMD earlier said a dust storm accompanied with gusty winds is also very likely at isolated places over Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Punjab and Rajasthan.

The IMD also predicted rainfall and snowfall in parts of Himachal Pradesh.

On Thursday, the Weather department issued a yellow alert for the lower and mid-hill districts of the state, warning of possible thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds.

Himachal Pradesh is set to experience a break from the summer heat as light to moderate rainfall, thunderstorms, lightning, and even snowfall in higher altitudes are predicted over the next week.

From May 1, rainfall activity is expected to begin across several districts of Himachal Pradesh. This pattern of intermittent rain is likely to persist for the next five to seven days, resulting in a temperature drop of 3 to 4 degrees Celsius, the IMD said.

Between April 30 and May 2, thunderstorms, lightning, and heavy rainfall warnings will persist across North, East, Northeast, and Peninsular India. Hailstorms are expected in North Interior Karnataka and parts of Odisha.

Heatwave conditions are set to continue in West Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir, with hot and humid weather warnings active for Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala.

Thunderstorm and lightning activity will persist across Northern India, including Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh during May 3 and 4. Peninsular India will also remain under alerts, especially affecting Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala.