Residents across Delhi-NCR woke up this morning to light rain and thunderstorms, bringing a welcome break from the unusually high temperatures seen in early March. The sudden change in weather brought cooler conditions, with gusty winds and lightning reported in several parts of the national capital and nearby areas on Sunday.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for Delhi, warning residents about the possibility of moderate rainfall, lightning and strong winds during the day.

Rain and winds bring relief

Light showers accompanied by gusty winds swept through parts of Delhi-NCR early Sunday. The rain brought a mild chill to the air, offering relief to residents who had been experiencing warmer-than-usual conditions for this time of the year.

According to the IMD, the temperature recorded at the Safdarjung weather station, considered the city’s base observatory, was 22 degrees Celsius at around 7:30 am. The rainfall helped bring down temperatures that had remained higher than normal over the past few days.

Also Read | Delhi woman alleges molestation during Uber bike ride, says driver threatened to kill her

Alerts issued for Delhi and nearby cities

The weather department has issued an orange alert for Delhi, indicating the likelihood of moderate rainfall along with thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds.

Neighbouring cities such as Noida and Gurugram are under a yellow alert, suggesting the possibility of light rain and weather fluctuations.

Earlier, the IMD had also forecast thunderstorms, lightning, gusty winds and possible hailstorms across the western Himalayan region and adjoining plains on Sunday and Monday.

Western disturbance behind the weather shift

Meteorologists attribute the sudden change in weather to an approaching western disturbance affecting the western Himalayas.

Speaking to PTI, Mahesh Palawat, Vice President of Meteorology and Climate Change at Skymet Weather, said, "Due to a western disturbance approaching the western Himalayas, cyclonic activity has developed over central Pakistan adjoining Punjab and Haryana. As a result, parts of Punjab, Haryana and Delhi are likely to witness rainfall over the next two days."

Also Read | Delhi allows eateries and hotels to use alternative fuels for one month amid gas shortage

"This is expected to be the season’s first pre-monsoon rain, which has arrived about 10 days earlier than usual", he added.

Temperature likely to dip further

Weather officials expect temperatures to remain relatively moderate in the coming days. The minimum temperature is likely to hover between 14 and 16 degrees Celsius by Monday, while the maximum temperature is expected to remain between 31 and 33 degrees Celsius, according to IMD forecasts.