A brief but intense spell of rain and hailstorm hit parts of Delhi on Tuesday. The sudden weather disrupted flight operations at Indira Gandhi International Airport. More than 500 flights were delayed, while several were cancelled or diverted. Ongoing disruptions linked to a drone attack in the Middle East added to the situation.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has not issued any colour-coded alert for Wednesday. However, it has warned of possible thunderstorms in the evening due to an active western disturbance. The IMD said the system will likely withdraw by Thursday, after which temperatures will begin to rise again.

Flights hit by weather and global disruptions

Flight data showed that over 500 flights faced delays on Tuesday. At least 10 flights were cancelled, and five were diverted to nearby airports.

Cancellations mainly affected routes to and from West Asia following a recent drone-related incident. At the same time, areas near the airport—such as Dwarka, Palam, and Najafgarh—experienced rain and hail after noon. This forced airlines to divert some flights and delay many others.

“Five flights were diverted between 2pm and 3.30pm as gusty winds, rain and hail were recorded around the airport. Some flights were delayed too,” an airport official said.

Flight tracking platform Flightradar24 reported average delays of around 30 minutes for both arrivals and departures.

The official added that 10 flights linked to West Asian destinations were cancelled since late Monday night. “This included six flights from Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait and Baghdad to Delhi and four flights from Delhi to these locations,” the official said.

The airport also issued an advisory on X, warning passengers about possible disruptions. “Flight operations may be impacted due to a hailstorm near Delhi airport, which could result in delays or short-term disruptions,” it said.

Weather swings and rising temperatures ahead

Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 33.6°C on Tuesday, which is six degrees above normal. On Monday, the maximum temperature stood at 32.4°C, when the city also saw rain and strong winds.

The IMD has predicted that temperatures will rise steadily from Thursday. Daytime temperatures may reach 35–37°C and could touch 40°C by Sunday.

Rainfall data showed that Safdarjung recorded 4.6 mm of rain till 8.30am, followed by only trace rainfall later. Palam recorded trace rainfall in the morning but saw 9.8 mm by evening. Najafgarh logged 0.5 mm initially, with 6.5 mm more during the day.

An IMD scientist said wind speeds reached up to 39 km/h in Pitampura. “Winds touched around 30-40 km/hour on Tuesday, as compared to Monday when speeds touched up to 70 km/hour,” the scientist said.

The minimum temperature dropped to 19.6°C, which is five degrees below normal. Night temperatures are expected to rise gradually and may reach around 27°C by the weekend, according to the IMD.