Stormy rains bring much needed relief to Delhi after sweltering heat but brings traffic woes too

The weather shift came hours after Delhi experienced sweltering conditions, with the heat index soaring to 50.2 degrees Celsius, owing to a mix of high humidity and intense sunshine.

New Delhi: A sudden intense storm followed by heavy rains caught Delhites unaware in the evening disrupting traffic across the capital and Noida, though it has brought down the temperature by 13 degrees Celsius providing a much-needed relief to the national capital region.

Because of the fierce storm that came with a velocity of 79 kmph at Safdarjung – the base station for Delhi – and 78 kmph at Pragati Maidan, many trees were either uprooted or their branches snapped. Also road signage and hoardings fell down blocking traffic.

On the plus side, the mercury dropped by 9-12 degrees Celsius, cooling down the parched capital and its satellite cities, according to the India Meteorological Department. Even hail storms were reported from parts of central and west Delhi.

The weather shift came hours after Delhi experienced sweltering conditions, with the heat index – or the "feels like" temperature – soaring to 50.2 degrees Celsius, owing to a mix of high humidity and intense sunshine.

According to the IMD, the maximum temperature Wednesday touched 40.7 degrees Celsius, 0.5 degrees above normal, while humidity levels oscillated between 64-34%. But the evening storm completely changed the situation. After more than an hour, the cloud moved towards Haryana.