According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the rainfall was triggered by this year’s first intense western disturbance. All districts of Delhi were placed under an orange alert till Friday noon, as per the nowcast issued on the IMD website around 11:15 am. Similar alerts were issued for Noida, Ghaziabad, and Gurugram, warning of light to moderate rain, thunderstorms, and gusty winds.
The IMD forecasted multiple spells of light rain throughout the day, accompanied by winds reaching speeds of up to 40 kmph. In a bulletin released around 11 am, the weather department said moderate rainfall with thunderstorms and lightning, along with gusty winds of 40–60 kmph, was very likely to affect parts of NCR for at least two hours. Areas expected to be impacted included Delhi, Ghaziabad, Gurugram, Manesar, Faridabad, and Noida.
The sudden change in weather led to a noticeable dip in temperatures. While Delhi’s actual temperature hovered around 16 degrees Celsius, the ‘feels like’ temperature dropped to nearly 12 degrees Celsius by late morning.
The rainfall also contributed to an improvement in air quality across the capital. Delhi’s average Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 293 (poor) at 8 am on Friday, improving from 322 (very poor) recorded on Thursday afternoon. The continued improvement in air quality led to the lifting of GRAP Stage 3 restrictions on Thursday.
However, the inclement weather disrupted flight operations at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI). In an advisory, Delhi airport authorities stated that flights to and from Srinagar were particularly affected due to adverse weather conditions, while delays were also reported on other routes.
Parts of Noida, Ghaziabad, and Gurugram witnessed steady rainfall through Friday morning, with orange alerts remaining in effect till at least early afternoon, as per IMD updates.
