Delhi and adjoining areas received much-needed relief from the intense heatwave on Saturday evening as heavy rain and thunderstorms swept across the region, bringing temperatures down significantly.
Several parts of the national capital witnessed heavy rainfall, with videos circulating on social media showing strong winds and intense showers across the city.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for thunderstorms and rainfall over parts of Delhi, Haryana and Chandigarh. Rainfall that began on Friday night continued in several areas, easing the oppressive heat and humidity that had gripped the region over the past few days.
According to the IMD, thunder squalls accompanied by gusty winds of up to 80 kmph are likely in Bihar, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Punjab, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. Similar conditions are also expected in Chhattisgarh, Gangetic West Bengal, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and Karnataka.
The weather agency has forecast heavy rainfall in parts of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Kerala, Mahe, Bihar, Odisha, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Karaikal, Uttarakhand and western Uttar Pradesh during the day.
The IMD attributed the sudden change in weather to an active western disturbance over northwest India and an associated cyclonic circulation, which have increased moisture levels and atmospheric instability across the region.
The development comes after several days of scorching temperatures in Delhi and is expected to provide temporary respite from the summer heat.
On Saturday, Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 24.6 degrees Celsius, two degrees below the seasonal average. The maximum temperature is likely to remain around 36 degrees Celsius, according to the weather department.
