A dust storm swept through Haryana's Gurugram and then proceeded to hit parts of Delhi as well a Uttar Pradesh's Noida on Tuesday, prompting the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to issue a red alert for Delhi-NCR, forecasting rain and strong winds across the region.
Even as Gurugram witnessed massive stormy weather for a brief spell followed by light shower, it brought down the temperature bringing relief from heat. Rain lashed several parts of Delhi also in the afternoon, leading to a sharp drop in temperatures across the national capital. Videos shared on social media showed massive dust storms sweeping through several parts of Gurugram, with strong winds and low visibility affecting normal life in the city.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) data, the city’s maximum temperature rose slightly, but thunderstorm activity brought the temperature down in several parts of Delhi.Safdarjung, the city's base weather station, recorded a maximum temperature of 40.1 degrees Celsius, 1.5 notches above normal and 1.7 degrees higher than the previous day.
The minimum temperature settled at 26.8 degrees Celsius, 1.2 notches below the normal and 0.5 degrees lower than the day before.IMD data showed that Safdarjung received 8.4 mm of rain between 2.30 pm and 5.30 pm, along with winds reaching up to 52 kmph at 2.30 pm, leading to a seven-degree temperature drop.
Other weather stations also recorded significant wind speed along with rain, with the highest being at Palam, where the wind speed reached 91 kmph at 2.30 pm.Palam recorded 1.4 mm of rain between 2.30 pm and 5.30 pm, leading to a 10-degree temperature drop.Pusa recorded a wind speed of 85 kmph at 3 pm, along with 3mm of rain in the afternoon hours, while Chattarpur recorded wind speeds up to 43 kmph at 3.15 pm.
Lodhi Road received around 4.6 mm of rain on Tuesday afternoon, Ridge received 3.5 mm of rain, and Ayanagar recorded 2.6 mm of rain in the same time period.The maximum drop was recorded in Ayanagar, where the temperature fell by 14.9 degrees, from 40.6 degrees Celsius to 25.7 degrees after the thunderstorm.
Other weather stations like Jafarpur recorded an 11.6-degree Celsius drop, Pusa recorded a 7.6-degree drop, and Najafgarh recorded an 8.2-degree drop."Partly cloudy skies will persist on Wednesday, along with possible thundery development towards the afternoon or evening. Delhi might see rain, thunderstorms, and gusty winds from Friday again," an IMD official said.
The IMD has forecast the maximum temperature to be around 39-41 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, while the minimum temperature is likely to be around 25-27 degrees Celsius.Meanwhile, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data on the 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) for Tuesday remained unavailable.Delhi's AQI, which was recorded at 127 on Sunday, had sharply deteriorated to 228 at 4 pm on Monday, owing to a dust storm.
Follow us
