Skies turn dark as heavy rain lashes parts of Delhi-NCR, red alert issued for thunderstorm
PTC News Desk: Heavy rain hit several parts of Delhi and the NCR on Thursday, leading the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to raise its weather warning from a yellow alert to a red alert as thunderstorms and strong winds affected the region.
The IMD said that light to moderate rain, along with thunderstorms, lightning, and winds of 60-80 kmph that could gust up to 100 kmph, was likely across Delhi-NCR over the next two hours. It also predicted cloudy skies and moderate rainfall throughout the day.
Rain was reported in many areas of Delhi, Noida, and Ghaziabad. Dark clouds and strong winds brought relief from the recent hot and humid weather, while the rainfall caused temperatures to drop noticeably.
Delhi Airport said flight operations at Indira Gandhi International Airport are currently normal, but passengers have been advised to check with their airlines for the latest flight information.
The IMD has forecast that the southwest monsoon is likely to reach Delhi by July 4. In recent years, the monsoon arrived in Delhi on June 25 in 2020 and 2023, June 28 in 2024, June 29 in 2025, June 30 in 2022, and July 13 in 2021.
Senior IMD scientist Naresh Yadav said the monsoon will soon cover additional areas including Punjab, Haryana, Delhi-NCR, Uttar Pradesh and parts of Gujarat's west coast. He warned that extremely heavy rainfall is likely over the Konkan region, Goa and South Gujarat in the next four to five days, adding that a red alert has been issued for these areas.
- With inputs from agencies
