Delhi weather: A dust and thunderstorm struck Delhi at around 5 pm on Saturday evening.
Highlights
- Severe dust storm was followed by heavy rain in the national capital
- Sky turned completely dark at 5 pm, 2 hours earlier than usual
- Heavy rain was also reported from neighbouring Gurugram in Haryana
A severe dust storm and strong winds hit Delhi this evening, as the weather took a sudden turn. It was immediately followed by heavy rain in the national capital. 35 flights were diverted from Delhi due to the weather, and metro services were briefly hit.
"Due to sudden dust storm and rain around 5 pm, there were a few cases of track circuit signalling drop reported on Line 1 (Red Line) and Line 3 (Blue Line) and external object striking overhead electrification near Janakpuri East," a senior Delhi Metro official said.
The sky turned completely dark at 5 pm, about two hours earlier than usual.
Heavy rain was also reported from neighbouring Gurugram in Haryana.The Met department had earlier today predicted that there will be strong winds of 70-80 kmph this evening, and light rain.
"The sky will be generally cloudy with the possibility of light rains or thundershower," a Met department official said.
It was a humid morning in Delhi today as the minimum temperature settled at 30 degrees Celsius, two notches above the season's average. Humidity was recorded at 71 per cent.
The minimum temperature was recorded at 30 degrees Celsius, two notches above the season's average. The maximum temperature was expected to hover around 39 degrees.
The maximum temperature yesterday was 40.5 degrees Celsius.
Mumbai too received heavy rain this morning as the monsoon arrived, inundating low lying areas and disrupting local trains and flights. At least 20 domestic flights were delayed and 12 international flights were also late. Local trains ran 15-20 minutes late, officials said.