Delhi weather has turned wild once again! A sudden gush of sandstorm, followed by a thunderstorm and heavy rains have lashed the city again, bringing slight relief from the heat that had started to build. The sandstorm has also hit Gurgaon and Noida. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), more rains across Delhi and National Capital Region (NCR) are predicted over the next three days.
Delhi-NCR also saw strong winds on Wednesday, with Palam recording winds of 18 knots (35 kmph), with gusts reaching up to 28 knots (50 kmph) around 7 pm while Pragati Maidan recorded the highest gust at 68 kmph.
Pusa followed closely with wind speeds reaching 65 kmph. Other parts of the city also witnessed significant wind activity. Wind speeds were clocked at 50 kmph in Palam, 46 kmph at Lodi Road, 44 kmph at IGNOU, 41 kmph in Naraina and 33 kmph in Pitampura, indicating a widespread impact of the storm across the Delhi region.
The high-velocity winds led to power outages and disruptions in many areas of the capital.
Following the heavy rains and storm, IndiGo on Wednesday issued an advisory to passengers.
Earlier in the day, Delhi woke up to a pleasant morning on Wednesday, March 18, with the minimum temperature settling at 18 degrees Celsius, 1.5 notches above the season's normal.
The IMD had earlier in the day predicted partly cloudy sky in the afternoon. It had also said in a statement that the cloudy skies will likely turn more cloudy in the night. It had also predicted a possibility of rains, accompanied by thunderstorm, lightning and strong surface winds.
In Noida, gusty winds are being experienced with drizzle of rains.
Delhi-NCR rain predictions from March 19-21 According to the latest forecast from the IMD, a shift in the Delhi-NCR weather is expected from March 19, when skies may turn partly cloudy, bringing chances of light rain or thundershowers on March 19 and 20.
On March 21, the sky is expected to remain cloudy, according to a DD News report. There is also a possibility of light rainfall. The next days – March 22 and 23 – the weather is likely to settle down, but partly cloudy skies will remain.
Daytime temperatures are likely to ease to 29 degree Celsicus and 28 degree Celsius, respectively, while minimums may remain in the 16–17 degree Celsius range.
Earlier on March 15, Delhi and the neighbouring areas received light rain accompanied by thunder in the past 24 hours, bringing relief from the recent heat.
Many areas of the national capital witnessed drizzle in the morning, with the India Meteorological Department stating that 8 mm of rainfall was recorded till 8.30 am.