New Delhi: People living in Delhi woke up to the rumble of thunder and the sound of hailstones hitting rooftops and windows as the city received rainfall for the fourth consecutive day on Wednesday.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said parts of South Delhi reported hailstorm around 7:30 am.
Dark clouds lowered visibility, and a short spell of heavy showers inundated key stretches of major roads in the city, affecting traffic movement.
“Traffic is affected in the carriageway from Azadpur towards Mukarba Chowk due to waterlogging at Panchwati red light. Kindly avoid the stretch,” the Delhi Traffic Police tweeted.
More rain and hailstorms are predicted during the day.
Residents in neighbouring Gurgaon also shared video clips of hailstorm there.
The Safdarjung Observatory, which provides representative data for the city, recorded 6 mm rainfall between 8:30 am on Tuesday and 8:30 am on Wednesday.
The weather stations at Palam, Lodhi Road, Ridge and Ayanagar gauged 4.2 mm and 10.4 mm, 5.1 mm and 8.4 mm rainfall, respectively, during the period.
At Safdarjung, the minimum temperature settled at 13 degrees Celsius, six notches more than normal, as a result of the cloud cover over the city.
Clouds trap some of the outgoing infrared radiation and radiate it back downwards, warming the ground.
The rains, under the influence of a strong western disturbance, come on the back of a “severe” cold wave that gripped Delhi in the run-up to New Year.
On Friday, the mercury had plummeted to 1.1 degrees Celsius, the lowest in 15 years for January, and very dense fog lowered visibility to “zero” metres.
The western disturbance is also causing widespread snowfall in the hills. Once it withdraws, the mercury will fall again to 4 to 5 degrees Celsius, officials said.
Dense fog is likely in Delhi over the next two days, the IMD said. (AGENCY)
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