A short but intense spell of rain along with gusty winds of up to 68km/hour swept through Delhi on Wednesday evening, bringing about a sharp drop in temperatures and briefly disrupting flight operations at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport.
At least 22 flights were diverted till 9pm due to adverse weather, said airport officials, adding that strong wind shear made landings difficult. Flight tracking website Flightradar24 showed over 300 delays at the airport till 7.30pm.
The sudden change in weather was triggered by an active western disturbance impacting northwest India. While no rainfall was recorded till 6.30pm, conditions shifted rapidly thereafter, with winds reaching 68km/hour at Pragati Maidan and 65km/hour at Pusa around 7pm, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
At Palam, near the airport, wind speeds touched 52km/hour.
Also Read: IMD forecasts three days of rain in Delhi, yellow alert issued
Between 6.30pm and 8pm, several parts of the city received light to moderate rainfall, with Janakpuri recording 10.5mm, Naraina and Pusa 8mm each, Pragati Maidan 5.5mm, Lodhi Road 4.5mm and Ayanagar 4mm, IMD data showed.
The strong winds led to a sharp fall in temperature. “It was 29°C at Safdarjung at 6.30pm, and it dropped to 19°C by 7.30pm.
A similar dip was recorded at Palam, while Naraina fell to 18.2°C,” an IMD official said.
The IMD has issued a yellow alert for Thursday and Friday, forecasting multiple spells of light rain and gusty winds of up to 50 kmph. The maximum temperature, which was 33.6°C on Wednesday — two degrees above normal — is expected to drop to 28–30°C on Thursday and further to 26–28°C by Friday.
“We will see multiple spells of light rain across Delhi-NCR on Thursday and Friday. This will keep the maximum temperature in check, likely below 32°C even over the weekend,” the IMD official said, adding that light rain may continue late Wednesday night or early Thursday.
Also Read: Rain, thunderstorm lash Delhi-NCR; IMD issues 'orange' alert
Mahesh Palawat, vice-president at Skymet, said the western disturbance will have a sustained cooling effect. “Peak intensity is likely on Friday, with overcast skies and ample rain. The maximum should dip below 30°C,” he said.
The change in weather has brought relief from unusually high March temperatures.
The city had recorded a maximum of 36.8°C on March 11 — eight degrees above normal — after crossing 35°C as early as March 7, the earliest in at least 15 years.
The minimum temperature on Wednesday was 18°C, two degrees above normal, and is expected to hover between 18°C and 20°C on Thursday before dipping to 14-16°C by Saturday.
Air quality, however, remained in the ‘poor’ category, with the 24-hour average AQI at 232 at 4pm, improving to 218 by 6pm, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) said it would not invoke Stage-1 measures under the graded response action plan (Grap), citing an improving trend and favourable weather forecasts.
“Given the declining AQI trend and forecasts indicating air quality in the ‘moderate’ category in the coming days, invocation of Stage-1 Grap is not required at present,” the CAQM said.
The panel had revoked all Grap measures across NCR on Monday after air quality improved to the lower end of the ‘moderate’ category.
Separately, the CAQM said its enforcement task force reviewed compliance between February 19 and March 13, during which closure of 14 units was proposed, sealing of diesel generator sets in 27 units recommended, and show-cause notices issued to 20 units for violations.