Delhi storm: Vehicles were navigating through traffic as the storm swept through the city.
Delhi was in for a windy surprise this evening after a major sand and thunderstorm with rain turned the skies in the city and the adjoining area murky after days of scorching summer. Two Air India flights have also been diverted to Jaipur due to bad weather.
The city had been reeling under rising temperatures and humidity and the gusty winds this evening have brought the mercury down.
Several took to social media to post images and videos of the effects of the storm. Trees were seen rustling ferociously and vehicles navigating through traffic as the storm swept through the national capital.
The weather department said Delhi reported winds with over 50 kmph speed. Gusty Winds (at 2200 hrs IST of today) reported (kmph) over Delhi: Ujwa 77 kmph; Jafarpur 57 kmph; Lodhi road 61 kmph; Pragati Maidan 63 kmph; Pitampura 57 kmph; Narayana 50 kmph; Najafgarh 40 kmph.
The MeT department also urged the people to stay indoors and avoid unnecessary travel. "Residents are urged to stay indoors, secure their windows and doors and refrain from unnecessary travel," the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in the advisory.
A video from the Indira Gandhi International Airport showed people rushing to shaded areas while covering their eyes and mouths.
Earlier in the day, the weather department forecast a cloudy sky with the possibility of a dust storm and thunderstorm accompanied by gusty winds. "Duststorm/ thunderstorm with rain (followed by rain) and gusty winds with speed of 50-70 Km/h would occur over and adjoining areas of entire Delhi and NCR (Loni Dehat, Hindon AF Station, Ghaziabad, Indirapuram, Chhapraula, Noida, Dadri, Greater Noida, Gurugram, Faridabad," said the India Meteorological Department.
The maximum temperature settled at 39 degrees Celsius on Friday. The relative humidity oscillated between 47 and 64 per cent during the day, the IMD said.