Hailstorm lashes parts of Delhi, expect more rain today

According to officials at the India Meteorological Department (IMD), hailstorms were reported from Palam, Ayanagar and several parts of Gurgaon.

Gauges at Safdarjung, Delhi’s base station, recorded 0.8 mm of rain, while the relative humidity oscillated between 96% and 66%.

IMD has forecast moderate rain, thunderstorms and hail in isolated places on Monday. Gusty winds up to 30-40 kilometres per hour are also expected. The temperature is expected to be between  26 and 16 degrees Celsius.

IMD officials said the rain and overcast conditions were because of back to back western disturbances. “The rain and hailstorm over northwest India is because of an active western disturbance in the region. Another disturbance over the same region is now active and will bring rain to northwest India, including Delhi, on Monday and Tuesday,” he said.

The bulk of the rain is expected on Monday, while the city will get only light rain on Tuesday.

Temperatures during the week are expected to peak on Thursday, with the mercury expected to touch 30 degrees Celsius. Another bout of light rain is expected on Friday, with the maximum temperature expected to drop to 28 degrees Celsius.

IMD also issued a yellow alert for Monday, advising people to stay indoors and not take shelter under trees, lie on concrete floors or lean against concrete walls. It has also urged people to keep away from water bodies.

The rain and winds also led to an improvement in the air quality. The AQI touched poor last week but was in the moderate range on Sunday.