IMD issues red alert, sends notifications to Delhi

Residents of Delhi and the National Capital Region were jolted awake late Thursday night and early Friday by a series of emergency weather alerts sent directly to their mobile phones, warning of an approaching severe thunderstorm. The alerts, part of a government cell broadcast initiative, preceded heavy rain, lightning, and powerful winds that swept across the region overnight.

The India Meteorological Department had issued a red alert, its highest warning, for Delhi for the early hours of Friday, June 12, indicating conditions that threaten life and property and require immediate action. The forecast predicted thunderstorms with strong surface winds of 70 to 80 kilometers per hour, gusting up to 90 or even 100 km/h in isolated areas. The weather office also warned of the possibility of hail and dust-raising winds in several parts of the city and adjoining areas of western Uttar Pradesh, including Ghaziabad, Noida, Meerut, Aligarh, Mathura, and Agra.

Authorities sent the emergency notifications through the cell broadcast system at approximately 8:53 p.m., 10:00 p.m., and 1:15 a.m., alerting millions to the rapidly intensifying conditions. The alerts drew mixed reactions on...