Thunderstorm, rain give Delhi relief from heat, disrupt flights, cause waterlogging

New Delhi: Thunderstorm accompanied by heavy rain battered Delhi overnight, disrupting flight operations, uprooting trees and electricity poles, and causing waterlogging in several areas while bringing relief from stifling heat.

The sudden change in weather led to a sharp drop in mercury with the city recording a minimum temperature of 19.8 degrees Celsius, 6.9 notches below the normal.

The India Meteorological Department said the city's primary weather station at Safdarjung recorded winds gusting up to 82 kmph and 81.2 mm of rain in six hours -- between 11.30 pm and 5.30 am.

Palam gauged 68.1 mm of rain, Pusa 71 mm, Mayur Vihar 48 mm, Narela 30 mm, and Delhi University 29 mm.

Sources said as many as 49 flights, including 17 international ones, were diverted at the country's largest IGI airport here due to the inclement weather. Water logging was also reported at Terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport.

Flight tracking website Flightradar24.com showed that around 180 flights have been delayed and some cancelled at the airport.

In the city, several stretches, including Moti Bagh, Minto Road, ITO, Dhaula Kuan, Delhi Cantonment, Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg and Chanakyapuri, were partially submerged.

A car and a bus were seen almost completely submerged at an inundated underpass in the Delhi Cantonment area. Videos circulating on social media showed similar scenes, purportedly from the Minto Road area.

The weather department had issued a red alert on Saturday night warning about an approaching thunderstorm cell from the west and northwest. It had forecast severe thunderstorms or dust-raising winds accompanied by frequent lightning and gusty winds under its influence.

Several parts of the national capital reported strong winds, with Palam recording gusts of 72 kmph, Pragati Maidan at 76 kmph, Jafarpur at 61 kmph, and IGNOU at 50 kmph.

After the heavy rain that accompanied the thunderstorm, Delhi's temperature dropped sharply between 1.15 am and 2.30 am.

At Safdarjung, the temperature fell from 31 degrees Celsius to 21 degrees Celsius, while at Palam it dropped from 29 degrees Celsius to 22 degrees Celsius.

Pusa saw a drop from 31.8 degrees Celsius to 20.5 degrees Celsius, Pragati Maidan from 31.4 degrees Celsius to 21.3 degrees Celsius, and Lodhi Road from 31 degrees Celsius to 22.3 degrees Celsius.

For Sunday, the weather department has forecast a thunderstorm with rain, with the maximum temperature expected to settle around 38 degrees Celsius.