Heavy rains, accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning, battered Delhi and its surrounding areas on Tuesday, March 31, throwing normal lives out of gear, but also bringing relief from the rising temperatures. Delhi and some parts of the NCR also witnessed rainfall on Monday, March 30, evening, bringing relief to rather warm and humid afternoons.
According to reports, rains and hailstorms have also lashed several places in Haryana and Punjab.
Earlier in the day, an orange alert was issued by the weather department, expecting lightning and thunderstorms across many parts of the city. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted gusty winds to reach speeds of 40–50 kmph, with occasional gusts up to 60 kmph.
An orange alert indicates that residents should be prepared for potentially disruptive weather conditions. Hailstorms may also occur in isolated areas of the NCR region.
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The weather department said earlier that the predominant surface wind is expected to be from the southwest. It is expected to be of speeds of up to 15 kmph during the afternoon. It said that the wind speed will gradually go down to drop to below 10 kmph from the southeast direction during the evening and night.
The city recorded a minimum temperature of 19.4 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, while the maximum temperature is likely to hover around 33 degrees Celsius.
Why Delhi-NCR, other northern states witnessing rains in March? Several states in North India are witnessing rainfall due to western disturbances. While some northern states witnessed rainfall, parts of Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh reported snowfall.
Experts attributed the conditions to a western disturbance and an associated cyclonic circulation over northwest Rajasthan, which led to rainfall over parts of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and western Uttar Pradesh, according to PTI.
IMD predicts above-normal rainfall in April Meanwhile, in its monthly forecast, the weather department has predicted above-normal rainfall in most parts of the country, except the Northeast region.
The weather department has also predicted above-normal number of heatwave days over East, Central and Northwest India between April and June of 2026.
"Above-normal number of heatwave days likely over parts of east, central and northwest India and southeast Peninsula from Apr-June. Above-normal rainfall likely over most parts of country except Northeast India in April. Below-normal rainfall is expected over many parts of northeastern India,” the IMD said.
It said, “During the hot season (April-May-June), above-normal minimum temperatures are likely over most parts of the country, except some regions of Maharashtra and Telangana, where normal to below normal minimum temperatures are likely.”