Thundershower, rain lash north India; cause power blackouts, flight chaos; temperature falls by 11 degrees

Vibha Sharma

New Delhi, May 23 

The region received the first wet thunderstorm/cyclonic storm of the season accompanied with widespread rain, lightning and gusty winds on Monday morning, cooling surface temperatures by 11 degrees Celsius.

This is the first storm of moderate intensity of this season since March 1, the IMD said, adding that winds gusting at a maximum speed up to 70 kmph were recorded at the IGIA at 7am.

Normal occurrence days of such weather activity in Delhi-NCR and adjoining regions are around 12 to 14 days between March and May.

However, this season has seen only four to five episodes so far and those, too mostly, dry thunder, the weather office added.

Meanwhile, due to present Western Disturbance fairly widespread to widespread light/moderate rain with isolated thunderstorm/lightning/gusty winds will occur over Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand; scattered to fairly widespread rain activity over Punjab, Haryana-Chandigarh-Delhi, Uttar Pradesh; and isolated rainfall activity over Rajasthan till May 24, with peak intensity on Monday.

Isolated thunder squalls and hailstorm activity are also likely over Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana-Chandigarh-Delhi, West Uttar Pradesh and East Rajasthan during the day.

On Monday morning, thundershower with rain and gusty winds with speed of 60-90 kmph occured over the adjoining areas of entire Delhi and NCR, including Loni Dehat, Hindon AF Station, Bahadurgarh, Ghaziabad, Indirapuram, Chhapraula, Noida, Dadri, Greater Noida, Gurugram, Faridabad, Manesar, Ballabhgarh.

Similar weather was also reported from Charkhi Dadri, Mattanhail, Jhajjar, Farukhnagar, Kosali, Mahendargarh, Sohana, Rewari, Palwal, Bawal, Nuh, Aurangabad, Hodal (Haryana) Sakoti Tanda, Daurala, Bagpat, Meerut, Khekra, Modinagar, Kithor, Amroha, Moradabad, Garhmukteshwar, Rampur, Pilakhua, Hapur, Gulaoti, Siyana, Sambhal, Billari, Milak, Sikandrabad, Chandausi, Bulandshahar, Jahangirabad, Anupshahar, Bahajoi, Bareilly, Shikarpur, Khurja, Pahasu, Debai, Narora, Gabhana, Sahaswan, Jattari, Atrauli, Khair, Aligarh, Kasganj, Nandgaon, Iglas, Sikandra Rao, Barsana, Raya, Hathras, Mathura, Jalesar (U.P.) and Bhiwari, Tizara, Khairthal, Nagar, Deeg (Rajasthan).  

Light to moderate intensity intermittent rain also occurred over and adjoining areas of entire Delhi and Yamunanagar, Kurukshetra, Karnal, Rajaund, Assandh, Safidon, Jind, Panipat, Gohana, Gannaur, Meham, Sonipat, Kharkhoda in Haryana and Saharanpur, Gangoh, Deoband, Nazibabad, Shamli, Muzaffarnagar, Kandhla, Bijnaur, Khatauli, Hastinapur, Chandpur, Baraut in UP.

Late in the evening, several parts of the region recieved another spell with thunderstorm, light-to-moderate intensity rain and winds gusting at the speed of 60-80 kmph.