Catastrophic weather system sparks flooding in Delhi-NCR region, leading to flight disruptions.
In the early hours of Sunday, a severe thunderstorm hit the national capital, Delhi, causing widespread disruptions. The storm, accompanied by gusty winds ranging between 60 and 100 km/h, led to waterlogging, uprooted trees, power outages, and the disruption of flight operations across Delhi-NCR.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had issued a red alert for the region the previous night, predicting light to moderate rain, severe thunderstorms, lightning, hail, and squally winds. The alert warned of impacts over the following two hours, starting at 10:30 pm.
Delhi has already surpassed its previous record for May rainfall with 81.2 mm recorded until 5:30 am, bringing the total for the month to 186.2 mm. The previous record, set in 2008, was 165 mm.
The storm initially affected parts of Punjab and Haryana before moving southeastward and hitting Delhi between 12:30 am and 2:30 am. Rainfall continued in some areas until 5:30 am.
Flight operations at the Delhi airport were severely impacted, with over 200 flights delayed and 49 diverted to nearby airports between 11:30 pm and 4:00 am. Of these, 17 were international flights, causing an average delay time of around 45 minutes due to strong winds and lightning.
Wind speeds during the storm peaked around 2:00 am, reaching 82 km/h at Safdarjung and 72 km/h at Palam. The storm also caused a sharp drop in temperature between 1:15 am and 2:30 am, with the temperature falling significantly at both Safdarjung and Palam.
The IMD had previously issued a public advisory, urging residents to stay indoors, avoid unnecessary travel, unplug electrical appliances, and keep emergency kits or flashlights ready. This latest storm in Delhi follows a series of sudden and intense dust storms and thunderstorms in May, causing numerous fatalities and structural damage in the city.
- Amidst the general news of weather-related disruptions, the international flight operations in India, particularly Delhi, faced significant challenges due to the thunderstorm, with an average delay of 45 minutes per international flight.
- While the IMD forecasted weather patterns accurately for the Delhi storm, the sports lovers across India might have missed crucial Cricket matches due to the widespread power outages caused by the high-speed winds and hail.
- As the car-accidents occurred due to poor visibility and slippery roads during the storm, the city of Delhi saw an additional challenge in managing traffic and providing timely emergency services.
- In the aftermath of the storm, the local news reports focus not only on the weather-forecasting and cleanup efforts in Delhi but also on the general-news aspect of the safety concerns in such weather situations, reminding the citizens of the importance of preparedness and precaution.
