Heavy rains, dust storm lash Delhi-NCR; 27 flights diverted; metro services affected
Dust storm/thunderstorm which will be accompanied by squally winds with speed of up to 70 to 80 kmph.
Dust storms accompanied by strong winds hit Delhi-NCR on Saturday evening. Rains accompanied by heavy winds also lashed parts of Noida. Meanwhile, parts of Faridabad experienced power-blackout due to rains accompanied by dust storms. According to latest inputs, at least 27 flights have been diverted due to heavy rains. Air carrier Jet Airways issued an advisory stating that some of its flights to and from Delhi might be affected due to heavy rains. Services on the Red Line and Blue Line of the Delhi Metro were affected briefly due to some snags on a few stretches after a dust storm, with winds gusting up to 70 kmph, hit the national capital this evening, officials said.
Earlier, the Indian Meteorological Department on Saturday warned that a dust-storm accompanied with light rain and squall with wind speed up to 70 to 80 kmph would occur over Delhi and NCR during next three hours.
Private weather agency, Skymet had also issued a warning saying that dust storm accompanied by thundershower and strong gusty winds would occur over Faridabad, Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, Hapur and Meerut districts of Delhi and NCR during next 6 hours.
Meanwhile, heavy rains lashed Gurugram city earlier on Saturday.
Dust storm, strong winds, and clouds turned the sky dark in Delhi on Saturday.
The dust storm pushed the temperature down by a few notches on what was a sultry day. The city recorded a high of 40.5 degrees Celsius and a low of 30 degrees Celsius, according to the MeT office.
The humidity levels were recorded at 71 per cent.
As It Happened:
07:50 pm: Services on the Red Line and Blue Line of the Delhi Metro were affected briefly due to some snags on a few stretches after a dust storm, with winds gusting up to 70 kmph, hit the national capital this evening, officials said.
07:15 pm: A total of 27 flight diversions took place between 5 pm and 6 pm in Delhi due to rain & dust storm. Normalcy of operations restored at Indira Gandhi International Airport.
06:30 pm: Jet Airways has issued an advisory and said some of the flights might be affected. "Due to adverse weather conditions in Delhi, some of our flights to & from Delhi have been affected," the airline tweeted.
06:20 pm: Trees uprooted in many parts of Delhi-NCR due to heavy rains
06:15 pm: 18 flights diverted due to thunderstorm and rain in Delhi.
06:00 pm: Power blackout in some parts of Faridabad
05:45 pm: Rains accompanied by heavy winds hit parts of Noida
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05:20 pm: Dust storm, strong winds, and clouds turn the sky dark in Delhi
05:18 pm: Heavy rains lash Gurugram city
05:00 pm: As per IMD, the thunderstorm activity will be accompanied by squall and lightning very likely at isolated places over Haryana, Chandigarh & Delhi, West Uttar Pradesh, and East Rajasthan.
04:50 pm: Private weather forecasting player Skymet Weather reported that Delhi and adjoining cities like Gurugram, Noida, Faridabad, and Ghaziabad are expected to get these pre-Monsoon showers. As per Skymet, the wind speed during the pre-Monsoon activities could reach 50 to 60 kmph gusting up to 70 kmph in some areas.
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