Delhi, Noida and Ghaziabad are likely to experience another bout of strong winds and dust storm on Friday as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issues an orange warning for a dust storm followed by a thunderstorm in the national capital.
The Meteorological Agency has issued an orange warning (“be prepared”) for dust storm, light to moderate rain accompanied by thunder and lightning and wind gusting up to 100 km/h in several parts of Delhi.
“Dust storm/followed by light thunderstorm with light rainfall and lightning (80-100 kmph gusty wind) very likely over parts of Delhi,” the IMD forecast said. “Light rain/light thundershower very likely over parts of Delhi.”
According to the Met Dept, an orange alert is in place for the following areas of Delhi:
- South East Delhi
- East Delhi
- Shahadra
- Central Delhi
- North East Delhi
- South Delhi
- New Delhi
- South West Delhi
- West Delhi
- North West Delhi
- North Delhi
The warning has been conveyed to the Delhi State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) and authorities have advised residents to follow safety guidelines during the storm activity.
Yellow alert is active for light rain in Gautam Buddh Nagar and Ghaziabad.
In the early hours of Friday, residents of Delhi and Noida reported a dust storm, a day after a dust storm killed over 100 people in Uttar Pradesh.
“We had extremely strong winds, reaching a speed of 98 kmph. After 8 pm, the temperature also dropped by 10-11 degrees in most parts of the city,” an IMD official told Hindustan Times (HT).
Delhi is the hottest day in May
On Thursday, May 14, Delhi recorded its hottest day of the month with the maximum temperature settling at 40.6 degrees Celsius, one degree above the season’s average.
Despite the orange warning and a forecast of cloudy skies on Friday 15 May, the Met Office predicted a maximum temperature of around 40-42 degrees Celsius, one to three degrees above the season’s average.
An IMD official also told HT that temperatures are expected to rise in Delhi-NCR for the rest of the week. The Meteorological Agency has issued a heatwave warning for the state capital from May 16 to May 20.
