Heavy Rain, Hail Ease Delhi Heatwave

Heavy rainfall, hailstorms and gusty winds battered Delhi and the National Capital Region on Thursday, delivering much-needed relief from weeks of scorching heat after temperatures had soared above 45 degrees Celsius in several areas.

The sudden weather shift, marked by dark clouds and thunderstorms, affected parts of Delhi, Noida and Ghaziabad. Winds reached speeds of up to 70 kilometers per hour in places, triggering lightning and intermittent downpours. The India Meteorological Department reported hailstorms and thunderstorms with light to moderate rain at isolated locations, including Dilshad Garden, Seemapuri, Seelampur, Shahdara, Vivek Vihar, Preet Vihar and adjoining parts of Noida. Light rain accompanied by thunderstorms was also noted in areas such as Civil Lines, Kashmere Gate, Red Fort, Rajeev Chowk, ITO, India Gate, Akshardham, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Lajpat Nagar, Kalkaji, Tughlakabad and IGNOU.

The downpours caused a sharp drop in temperatures, with maximums falling to around 39 degrees Celsius and minimums settling near 25 degrees Celsius. Safdarjung observatory recorded a low of 25.4 degrees Celsius Thursday morning, while other stations reported figures...