Delhi witnessed a sudden and dramatic weather change on Wednesday evening as strong winds, heavy localised rain, and hailstorms lashed several parts of the city.

The powerful storm disrupted normal life and badly affected flight operations. Officials said more than 500 flights faced delays, 15 flights were diverted, and six aircraft had to perform “go-arounds” because of dangerous weather conditions.

Wind speed touches nearly 100 km/hr

Weather officials said strong daytime heating combined with moisture linked to an active western disturbance triggered the storm activity across the capital.

According to the India Meteorological Department, Palam recorded the highest wind speed at 98 km/hr. Safdarjung and Pusa both recorded wind speeds of 72 km/hr.

Earlier in the day, Delhi had already experienced light drizzle and gusty winds. The brief weather activity gave residents temporary relief from the heat. However, rising humidity and bright sunshine later pushed the “feels like” temperature close to 44°C, even though the actual maximum temperature stayed below 40°C.

IMD issues orange alert

Weather conditions worsened sharply after 8 pm. The IMD then issued an orange alert for north, south-west, south, and south-east Delhi.

“We had extremely strong winds, touching 98km/hr. There was also a dip in temperature after 8pm across most parts of the city by 10-11 degrees,” an IMD official said.

The sudden storm caused a sharp fall in temperature across the city within a few hours.

Hailstorm reported in several areas

Residents reported hailstorms in parts of south and south-west Delhi.  Areas including Dhaula Kuan, Moti Bagh, and Uttam Nagar witnessed hail along with strong winds and rain.

Till 8.30 pm, Palam recorded 2 mm rainfall, while Safdarjung received 1.8 mm rainfall.

No more rain expected from Thursday

The IMD said the weather system would weaken from Thursday onwards. Officials said dry westerly and northwesterly winds are expected to return during the weekend. Because of this, temperatures will rise steadily over the next few days. The department predicted that Delhi’s maximum temperature could touch 42°C by Sunday.

“No rain is expected from Thursday, so there will be a gradual rise in temperature across northwest India over the next seven days, including over Delhi, where it can rise by 3-4 degrees,” an IMD official said.

Heatwave conditions likely to intensify

Mahesh Palawat, vice-president at Skymet Weather, said temperatures may rise rapidly across northwest India because western disturbances are currently absent.

He also said an anti-cyclone forming over the Arabian Sea could pull dry winds from the Middle East towards Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, worsening heat conditions.

“We can expect heatwave to severe heatwave conditions in parts of the country by the weekend. Already, the maximum has crossed 48°C in Rajasthan,” he said.

Minimum temperature stays below normal

Delhi’s minimum temperature settled at 26.4°C on Wednesday, which was one degree below normal levels. The IMD said the minimum temperature is likely to remain between 26°C and 28°C over the next three days.

Air quality remains moderate

Meanwhile, Delhi’s air quality stayed in the ‘moderate’ category. The city recorded a 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) of 147 on Wednesday, compared to 170 the previous day.

According to the Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi, air quality is expected to remain ‘moderate’ till Saturday. After that, it may fluctuate between the ‘moderate’ and ‘poor’ categories over the following six days.