Rain, thunderstorms lash parts of Delhi; IMD issues red, orange alerts across districts

New Delhi: Rain lashed several parts of the national capital on Tuesday, accompanied by thunderstorms and gusty winds, with the IMD warning of the possibility of hail over the next three hours.

A red alert was issued at 11.10 am for North West Delhi, West Delhi, South West Delhi, Outer North Delhi and parts of Central Delhi, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

Light rainfall was recorded across parts of the city during the morning hours. Palam logged 3.4 mm of rain, Ridge 3.0 mm and Pitampura 2.0 mm during the three hours between 8.30 am and 11.30 am, according to official data.

Janakpuri received 1.5 mm of rainfall, Mayur Vihar 1.0 mm and Ayanagar 0.1 mm, while Safdarjung and Lodi Road reported only a trace of rain. No rainfall data was available from Pusa and Najafgarh for the period, the data showed.

Orange alerts were issued for North East Delhi, East Delhi and Shahdara, while parts of North Delhi and South Delhi were also placed under alert, it said.

According to the IMD, a red alert indicates that authorities and residents need to take action as severe weather is expected, while an orange alert advises people to stay prepared and cautious due to the likelihood of adverse conditions.

"Bad weather over Delhi NCR likely during the next two to three hours," the weather office said.

The IMD said light to moderate rainfall was likely at most places, with isolated heavy spells accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning, gusty winds of 40 to 50 kmph and hail.

Thunderstorm activity with moderate to heavy rainfall was confined to isolated locations, including Narela, Bawana, Alipur, Kanjhawala, Rohini, Mundaka and Jafarpur.

The weather office forecast a generally cloudy sky with spells of light rain accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds during the early morning to forenoon hours.

The maximum temperature is expected to fall and settle around 19 degrees Celsius, while the minimum temperature was recorded at 8 degrees Celsius on Tuesday morning.

The last such intense wet spell was witnessed on January 23, when Delhi recorded the year’s first and highest January rainfall in two years, leading to a sharp dip in temperatures and providing brief relief from high pollution levels.