Phones across Delhi-NCR buzz with alerts for thunderstorm, lightning, hailstorm

Residents in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) received urgent alerts on their phones Saturday evening, warning of severe weather conditions. The notifications, some titled 'Extremely severe alert,' indicated the likelihood of thunderstorms accompanied by lightning, strong winds reaching up to 90 km/h, moderate to heavy rain, and hailstorms within the next three hours.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had placed parts of the city and its surrounding areas under a red alert for severe thunderstorms and dust storms. Specifically, north, northwest, west, and southwest Delhi districts were under the highest warning, while other parts of the city were on orange alert. The red warning specifically highlighted the risk of severe thunderstorms with surface winds up to 100 km/h, hail, dust storms, and rain.

These warnings came shortly after Delhi-NCR experienced some relief from the intense heat through light rain. Similar alerts were issued for Uttar Pradesh's Noida and Ghaziabad, while Haryana's Gurugram was under a yellow warning. Visuals circulating on social media also showed massive dust storms engulfing parts of Rajasthan.

The IMD had previously forecast some relief over the weekend with a yellow alert for rain and thunderstorms. While light rain and thunderstorms are predicted for Sunday, temperatures are expected to climb sharply again. By Thursday, June 4, temperatures are likely to reach between 40°C and 42°C, after a brief period of cooler weather.