The first major spell of rains in the season was experienced by Delhi and its neighbouring areas on Friday. The rain brought much-needed relief from the air pollution that had been affecting the region and a drop in the temperatures. The showers, accompanied by thunderstorms and gusty winds in several areas, began early in the morning and continued till noon across large parts of the national capital and the National Capital Region (NCR).
As per the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the rain has been triggered by the first intense western disturbance of this year. The entire city of Delhi has been put on an orange alert as the intensity of the rain increased during the morning hours.
Rain brings relief from pollution, colder feel
The continuous showers also resulted in better air quality in Delhi, continuing the trend of reduced levels of air pollution, which had already lifted the restrictions under GRAP 3 on Thursday. The average Air Quality Index (AQI) at 8 am on Friday was 293, which falls under the ‘poor’ category, improving from 322 recorded the previous afternoon.
Also Read | Srinagar Airport suspends flights due to heavy snowfall; IndiGo alerts passengers
The temperature in Delhi was around 16 degrees Celsius towards the end of the late morning, although the ‘feels like’ temperature was closer to 12 degrees Celsius.
Orange alert, flight operations disrupted
Light rain started after 5.30 am, with strong winds in some areas. The IMD predicted spells of light to moderate rainfall, along with thunderstorms and gusty winds reaching speeds of up to 40 kmph.
In a bulletin that was released around 11 am, the weather office stated that there would be “very likely” moderate rainfall with thunderstorms and lightning, along with winds of 40-60 kmph, for at least two hours in areas of Delhi, Ghaziabad, Gurugram, Manesar, Faridabad, and Noida.
The weather conditions also impacted air traffic. Flight services at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi were affected, with an advisory that “bad weather conditions hit flights to and from Srinagar,” besides affecting flights to other places.
Also Read | Rare ‘ghost orchid’ found again in Meghalaya after 175 years, sparks conservation concern
Hill towns turn white after heavy snowfall
Though rain lashed the plains, several hill areas in North India experienced fresh snowfall, bringing an end to the prolonged dry spell. Shimla experienced its first snow cover of the season, while the higher reaches of Himachal Pradesh, including Chamba, Kullu-Manali, Lahaul-Spiti, and Kinnaur, recorded heavy snowfall.
Kashmir Valley saw its first major snowfall of the season as places at higher altitudes received more than two feet of snow. This weather also caused flight cancellations, blocked highways, and power outages across the Kashmir Valley. Schools were closed in Rajouri and Poonch, though the Vaishno Devi Shrine received visitors without any interruptions due to fresh snowfall.
