Dust storm sweeps Delhi-NCR after scorching day
A hailstorm accompanied by heavy rain lashed Delhi-NCR late on Wednesday evening, bringing a sudden change in weather after the city endured a hot and humid day.
Smites of wind and dust hit several parts of the capital, reducing visibility.
According to the weather department, winds with speeds of 60-70 kmph were reported across Delhi and nearby areas. Palam recorded a wind speed of 20 knots (approximately 35 kmph), gusting up to 40 knots (around 72 kmph).
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said a cyclonic circulation over Haryana and its neighbouring areas, embedded in an east-west trough extending from Punjab to Bangladesh in the lower tropospheric levels, is influencing the weather. Moisture is feeding into the system from both the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, it added.
The weather shift came hours after Delhi experienced sweltering conditions, with the heat index – or the "feels like" temperature – soaring to 50.2 degrees Celsius, owing to a mix of high humidity and intense sunshine.
According to the IMD, the maximum temperature on Wednesday touched 40.7 degrees Celsius, 0.5 degrees above normal, while humidity levels oscillated between 64 and 34 per cent.
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