Delhi-NCR was hit by heavy rainfall coupled with severe thunderstorms and gusty winds early on Friday. An orange alert is in place in the national capital, with flights being delayed due to the inclement weather conditions.
In Short Orange alert issued for Delhi after heavy rainfall More rain likely in Delhi in next few days Thunderstorm and rain alert in parts of east, north, south India Over 40 flights were diverted and nearly 100 delayed as heavy rainfall, accompanied by thunderstorms, gusty winds, and hail, battered Delhi and its adjoining cities in the National Capital Region (NCR) early on Friday morning. The strong winds accompanying rainfall caused a neem tree to fall on a tube well room built on farmland in Dwarka. The tree crash led to the collapse of the structure.
Upon arrival, emergency responders discovered that a 26-year-old woman and her three children were trapped under the debris. With the help of police and fire brigade personnel, all four were pulled out and rushed to RTR Hospital in Jaffarpur Kalan, where they were declared dead. Ajay, the husband of the deceased woman, sustained minor injuries in the incident.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta inspected several areas after heavy rainfall bettered several parts of the city. The Chief Minister visited Majnu ka Tillla and IThe India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert for Delhi on Friday morning, warning of severe thunderstorms and squally winds between 70 and 80 kmph over the next few hours. An intense cloud mass passed over the city, triggering stormy conditions, with Palam station reporting winds of up to 74 kmph. However, the red alert issued for Delhi has now been converted into an orange alert.
Between 5.30 am and 5.50 am, Pragati Maidan recorded the highest gusts at 78 kmph. Other parts of the capital also experienced strong winds – IGNOU at 52 kmph, Najafgarh at 56 kmph, and both Lodhi Road and Pitampura at 59 kmph. The sudden downpour led to waterlogging in several key areas, including Lajpat Nagar, RK Puram, and Dwarka, disrupting traffic and causing inconvenience during peak morning hours. The Delhi airport issued an advisory on X (formerly Twitter), confirming that some flights were impacted due to the inclement weather and advising passengers to stay in touch with their respective airlines for updated flight schedules. Both Air India and IndiGo echoed the alert, urging travellers to check for the latest updates. Air India also noted that flight operations in other parts of northern India were affected by adverse weather conditions.
Air India also said that flight operations in parts of northern India were affected due to adverse weather. The weather department has advised people to stay indoors, close windows and avoid travelling till the inclement weather subsides. On Thursday, Delhi’s Safdarjung primary station recorded a maximum temperature of 38.6 degrees Celsius, nearly a notch below normal, and the minimum temperature was 26.8 degrees Celsius, two degrees above normal. Humidity was recorded at 59 per cent at 8.30 am on Thursday and came down to 43 per cent by 5.30 pm, the IMD said.
