Winter rain returns to Delhi-NCR with thunderstorms, lightning; IMD issues yellow alert

Delhi NCR witnessed rains along with lightning and thunderstorms on Tuesday, marking the second spell of winter rain in a week. A light to moderate rain was reported from Noida, and moderate to heavy rain was also reported from several areas in Delhi and Gurugram. In addition, the Indian Meteorological Department predicted that thunderstorms are expected to continue in the region for the next three hours.

“Thunderstorms, lightning, gusty winds and light to moderate rainfall are very likely over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, West Uttar Pradesh, North Rajasthan adjoining West Madhya Pradesh during the next 3 hours. Jammu, Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh are also likely to see the same weather during the same period," the weather department said in a post on X.

Earlier in the day, the IMD issued a yellow alert for rain and thunderstorms across the Delhi-NCR on Tuesday. In its latest update, the IMD said the Delhi-NCR forecast is due to an active western disturbance, which is expected to bring light to moderate rain and snowfall to several parts of the western Himalayan region till Wednesday.

Heavy rain or snowfall, along with hail, may occur at isolated places on Tuesday. The weather office has also warned of thunderstorms, lightning and hail in Delhi-NCR, with wind speeds of 40–50 kmph and gusts reaching up to 60 kmph on Tuesday.

Delhi AQI worsened again

Delhi began Monday with clear skies and cold winds. The minimum temperature at the city’s primary weather station, Safdarjung, was recorded at 4.2 degrees Celsius, more than two degrees lower than the previous day. In comparison, Aya Nagar registered the lowest temperature at 3.6 degrees Celsius. The maximum temperature in the capital reached 23.2 degrees Celsius, 1.1 degrees above normal and nearly 5 degrees higher than the previous day.

Despite the cold conditions, no rainfall was recorded at any weather station on Monday, and the weather remained clear and stable throughout the day. Meanwhile, after a brief improvement in air quality, pollution levels in the capital have worsened again. As of 7:30 am, the Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 281, falling in the ‘poor’ category. The AQI on Monday stood at 241, also in the ‘poor’ category.