Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport witnessed significant flight disruption on Tuesday after intense rain and hailstorm lashed the capital. Flight schedules were disrupted as adverse weather conditions made it difficult to operate flights and adhere to the planned schedule, Hindustan Times reported citing flight data. More than 500 flights were delayed and many others were diverted on May 5 amid an orange warning by the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
The situation was further aggravated by a drone attack in the Middle East, which caused an increase in the number of canceled flights. According to flight data, the situation at the airport was chaotic after nearly 500 flights took off later than scheduled, with at least 10 canceled and five diverted to nearby airports.
The flight cancellations mainly involved flights to and from the Middle East due to the recent drone attack. As the hailstorm hit the areas around the airport – specifically parts of Dwarka, Palam and Najafgarh, the airport authorities diverted flights to nearby airports and delayed operations of several others. Data from flight-tracking website Flightradar24 indicated average delays of more than 30 minutes for more than 500 flights, including arrivals and departures.
Read also | Orange alert issued as parts of Delhi experience rain and hail
“Five flights were diverted between 2pm and 3.30pm as gusty winds, rain and hail were reported around the airport. Some flights were also delayed,” HT quoted an airport official as saying. According to an official, Delhi Airport has seen 10 flight cancellations of those scheduled to and from airports in West Asia since 11:00 PM on May 4. “This included six flights from Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait and Baghdad to Delhi and four flights from Delhi to these places,” the official added.
Delhi Airport also shared an advisory regarding X, urging passengers to check flight schedules. “Flight operations may be affected by hailstorm near Delhi Airport, which could result in delays or short-term disruptions,” the advisory said.
Read also | IMD warns of heavy rains in West Bengal, Bihar — Check districts on orange alert
Weather Today: Can Delhi Expect More Flight Disruptions Today?
The IMD canceled the rain warning and did not issue any color-coded warnings for Wednesday. The Meteorological Department partially predicted the weather in the sky during the day.
The Met Office has predicted the possibility of stormy weather conditions for the late evening due to prevailing westerly disturbances. According to the Met department, the western disturbance is most likely to withdraw by Thursday and the mercury is expected to rise again. Residents of the capital can expect a gradual rise in maximum temperatures by 4-5°C over the next 4 days, the IMD said.
Read also | Delhi on ‘flash flood risk’ as national capital braces for heavy rain
“Maximum and minimum temperatures over Delhi are likely to be in the range of 34°C to 36°C and 20°C to 22°C, respectively. Minimum temperature will be noticeably below normal at many places (-3.1°C to -5.0°C) and maximum temperatures will be noticeably below normal (-3.1°C to -5.0°C) at most places on Tuesday over Delhi,” he said.
Safdarjung, the primary weather monitoring station, reported a maximum temperature of 33.6 degrees Celsius, 5.7 degrees Celsius less than the normal range. According to IMD data, Safdarjung station recorded 4.6 mm rainfall till 8.30 am and “trace” rainfall in the next nine hours.
Weather forecast for the next 5 days
The mercury is expected to touch 40°C in the next five days. A fresh Western Disturbance is likely to affect Northwest India from May 10, which is expected to bring isolated to scattered thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds on May 10-11.
Skymet Vice President Mahesh Palawat said, “A fresh Western Disturbance has been affecting the region for the last few days leading to a cyclonic circulation over the adjoining areas…there is less possibility of a heatwave for at least the next week.”
The Air Quality Index (AQI) settled at 86 in the ‘satisfactory’ category on Tuesday, making it the cleanest day in May in three years, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). In a post on X, CAQM said, “Delhi today records the lowest daily average AQI of the current year with an average clocked AQI of 86 at 4pm.”
