New Delhi: A 22-year-old man and a person with disabilities died, while at least 11 others were left injured in separate incidents caused by sudden rainfall, accompanied by thunderstorm and wind speeds of up to 79 kmph, in Delhi on Wednesday evening.
Trees uprooted
The fierce hailstorm caused widespread havoc across the city, affecting traffic on important routes such as Delhi-Noida, Delhi-Ghaziabad, and Delhi-Gurugram. A number of trees were uprooted due to the gusty winds and storm. Some trees also came crashing down on moving vehicles. A tree collapsed on a parked car on Mathura Road. Falling trees and branches caused damage to power lines, sparking electricity outages in several areas of the city, including Bawana, Narela, Jahangirpuri, Civil Lines, Shakti Nagar, Model Town, Wazirabad, and Dhirpur. The Delhi Traffic Police issued alerts on social media, telling people about traffic disruptions caused by uprooted trees.
The Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) at Palika Kendra reported getting 13 tree fall complaints within the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) area alone. A billboard near the Laxmi Nagar red light on Vikas Marg also came crashing down.
In Noida, a road signboard crashed onto several parked motorcycles. Besides, a ‘Welcome to Noida’ sign on the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway also collapsed due to the storm.
Waterlogging causes traffic chaos
Many stretches faced waterlogging, which added to the traffic chaos. Waterlogging was reported at a number of locations across the city, including near the Akshardham Flyover, Sikandra Road, and beneath Tilak Bridge near ITO, causing significant inconvenience for commuters and local residents.
Flights diverted, Metro services hit
Heavy rainfall and thunderstorms also caused significant disruption at Delhi airport. The disruptions forced the diversion of at least 13 flights. As many as 12 flights were reportedly rerouted to Jaipur, while one international flight was diverted to Mumbai.
Metro services were also disrupted in some areas, with the Delhi Metro saying, “external objects fell onto metro tracks at certain locations”. The hailstorm and heavy rain caused damage to overhead equipment on the Delhi Metro network. The service disruptions on the Red, Yellow, and Pink Lines were reported.
The sudden change in weather came after a long period of intense heat and humidity in the national capital. The heat index of Delhi climbed to 50.2 degrees Celsius, caused due to high humidity and intense sunlight. The IMD said that on Wednesday, the maximum temperature went up to 40.7 degrees Celsius, which was 0.5 degrees above the normal average, while humidity swung between 34% and 64%.
Forecast for Thursday
The IMD has issued an orange alert for severe weather conditions on Thursday. The forecast predicts thunderstorms with frequent lightning, dust storms, and light to moderate rainfall. The pattern will continue till May 24. Gusty winds ranging from 40 to 60 kmph, with temporary increases reaching up to 70 kmph during thunderstorms, are likely to sweep through the national capital.
