Chaos took over Delhi yesterday evening after a short and intense spell of rain came with strong wind and a thunderstorm. Traffic had to halt and hundreds of trees were uprooted. Two people were reported dead in the storm.
The Indira Gandhi International Airport reported winds gusting up to 100 kmph. And the Palam weather station recorded a maximum wind speed of 70kmph.
According to readings at Palam observatory near the airport, the temperature sharply fell by 13°C. In South Delhi's Safdarjung, a decline of 16°C was recorded. Some Twitter users said the rain lasted about 20 minutes.
One of the victims is a 50-year-old man in the Jama Masjid area in central Delhi. He was standing outside when a part of the neighbour's house fell on him due to the strong wind. A 65-year-old homeless man also died in the Angoori Bagh area of North Delhi after a peepal tree fell on him, reported NDTV.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the storm was due to a Western Disturbance-induced cyclonic circulation over northwest Rajasthan and adjoining Pakistan. Eastern winds coming from the Bay of Bengal carry moisture feeding the cyclonic circulation.
The Met department added this is the first official storm of severe intensity in Delhi since 2018. Senior IMD scientist R K Jenamani said the city on average sees thunderstorms on 12-14 days in March-May.
Heavy rain put traffic on hold in areas near Ferozeshah Road, Tolstoy Marg, Copernicus Road, KG Marg, and Pandit Ravi Shankar Shukla Lane. Roads in the East and central parts of Delhi are filled with broken tree branches. The civic authorities received close to 300 calls related to trees falling.