Sudden storm paralyses Delhi-NCR; rain, lightning kill eight in north India

New Delhi: A fierce spell of unseasonal rain and thunderstorms swept across northern India early Friday, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. At least eight people lost their lives, hundreds of trees were uprooted, and flight operations at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport were severely disrupted as the storm, accompanied by wind speeds of up to 80 km/hr, battered the region.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported that Delhi recorded 77 mm of rainfall in just three hours starting around 5 am, marking the second-highest 24-hour rainfall in May for the capital since 1901. The deluge caused widespread waterlogging and traffic snarls across the Delhi-NCR region.

Tragedy struck in southwest Delhi’s Najafgarh, where a house collapse claimed the lives of a 28-year-old woman and her three young children. A large tree, uprooted by the storm, crashed onto their residence in Kharkhari village.

“Police and fire department teams rushed to the site after receiving a distress call. The victims were pulled from the debris and taken to a nearby hospital in Jaffarpur Kalan, where doctors pronounced four of them dead,” an official said.

The victims were identified as Jyoti (28), Aryan (7), Rishabh (5), and Priyansh (7 months). Her husband, Ajay (30), sustained minor injuries and is currently under medical observation. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta offered condolences and announced financial assistance. 

“In this moment of immense grief, the Delhi government has sanctioned Rs 25 lakh as ex-gratia relief to Sh. Ajay, the next of kin of the deceased,” Gupta posted on X.

Elsewhere in Delhi, a 25-year-old man named Ankit died of electrocution in Green Park. Police said he came into contact with an iron gate that had become electrically charged after a snapped overhead cable fell during the storm.

The Delhi Fire Services reported over 100 rain-related calls within a few hours of the storm. Among these were nearly 300 complaints of trees falling across the city, which caused damage to multiple vehicles and disrupted traffic flow.

Waterlogging was reported in many areas, including ITO, Minto Road, Dhaula Kuan, Chirag Dilli, RK Puram, Lakshmi Nagar, and South Extension. Traffic slowed to a crawl on the Delhi-Gurugram Expressway, with bottlenecks at Hero Honda Chowk, Rajiv Chowk, and IFFCO Chowk.

A senior official from the municipal corporation said between 100 and 200 trees were uprooted in Delhi alone. “Crews have been working since morning to clear fallen trees from arterial roads and colonies,” the official noted.

Flight operations at Delhi Airport were heavily impacted. According to airport sources, over 200 flights were delayed and three diverted due to low visibility and gusty winds. “Two incoming flights were rerouted to Jaipur, and one was sent to Ahmedabad,” the official confirmed.

Power supply was also affected in parts of the capital. A spokesperson for Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited said 22 power-related complaints were received and resolved within an hour. BSES officials said power was temporarily cut in low-lying areas as a precautionary measure.

In Faridabad, people were seen trying to pull out a half-submerged car stuck in waterlogged areas. Rows of vehicles were caught in a traffic jam in Ghaziabad. The majority of Gurugram, a hub of scores of multinationals housed in swanky skyscrapers, was waterlogged.

In Uttar Pradesh, at least three fatalities were reported due to lightning strikes in separate incidents. In Firozabad district, two labourers working on a road project under the MGNREGA scheme were killed on the spot. In a similar incident in Etah district, 17-year-old Diksha was fatally struck by lightning while trying to cover a haystack with her family. Her sister Sapna, father, and brother sustained burns.

“Lightning also claimed the lives of Satyendra (35) and Vishnu (25) along the Shikohabad-Nanemau road. Devendra (30), who was with them, is undergoing treatment for injuries,” a police officer in Firozabad said. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath instructed officials to assess damage across affected districts and ensure that compensation and aid reach victims promptly.

Heavy rainfall and strong winds also led to disruptions in Jammu and Kashmir. A landslide blocked the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway near Chamba Seri in Ramban district. “Vehicular traffic has been suspended from both directions due to the mudslide triggered by flash floods following a cloudburst,” a traffic police official stated.

Authorities in Reasi and Akhnoor sectors issued warnings to residents to avoid the riverbanks of the swelling Chenab River.

In Himachal Pradesh, a hailstorm accompanied by rain battered the state capital Shimla and surrounding areas. The Tutikandi-ISBT Road was temporarily closed after trees fell on three parked vehicles. The weather office has issued an orange alert for hailstorms and thunderstorm activity across various districts.

“Shimla, Jubbarhatti, Sundernagar, and Bhuntar reported thunderstorms. Winds reaching up to 50 km/hr hit areas like Kufri and Kangra,” a spokesperson from the Shimla Met Centre said. Minimum temperatures dipped by 2-5 degrees Celsius, with Tabo in Lahaul and Spiti recording 5.6°C.

The IMD forecasts continued instability in Uttar Pradesh, predicting isolated rainfall and thunderstorms with lightning on May 3 and 4, along with gusty winds reaching up to 50 km/hr. Western UP is expected to witness stronger surface winds of 25-35 km/hr in the coming days.

In Punjab and Haryana, overnight rains brought a marginal drop in temperatures. Hisar, Bathinda, and Gurdaspur recorded significant rainfall. Visuals from these areas showed submerged roads and people attempting to rescue stranded vehicles. In Faridabad, residents struggled to move a car that had been submerged due to flooding. Meanwhile, traffic in Ghaziabad slowed down to a crawl as multiple stretches remained waterlogged.

The IMD explained that the deluge was caused by moisture and wind convergence from both the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal. A convergence of these systems led to thunderstorm development, resulting in widespread rainfall across the northern plains and hill states.

With the monsoon still weeks away, officials have described this weather as highly unusual for early May. However, the IMD has urged residents to remain cautious, as more instability is expected across the region over the next few days.

As emergency crews worked through Friday to clear blocked roads, restore power, and assess structural damage, many residents across Delhi-NCR and neighbouring states were left grappling with the aftermath of a storm that arrived without warning — and with deadly force.