Several parts of Noida witnessed a hailstorm on Tuesday after the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an orange alert for multiple cities across the Delhi-NCR region, warning of thunderstorms, lightning and hail activity. Gurugram, Ghaziabad and Faridabad were also placed under an orange alert, while Delhi remained on a yellow alert, according to the IMD.
Visuals shared by residents on social media showed hailstones scattered across roads in Noida, with sudden weather changes catching commuters off guard. Earlier in the day, parts of Delhi experienced light to moderate rainfall, prompting the IMD to issue a red alert for some areas and an orange alert for others due to ongoing rain and possible disruptions.
The weather alerts were valid until 1:30 pm, during which the IMD advised residents and commuters to exercise caution while travelling. The department said thunderstorms accompanied by lightning were likely to continue across the region through the evening.
The rainfall is expected to provide some relief from the deteriorating air quality in the national capital. Delhi’s air quality index (AQI) slipped back into the ‘very poor’ category on Tuesday morning, with the Central Pollution Control Board’s Sameer app recording an AQI of 310. This came just days after a brief improvement following a nearly day-long spell of rain earlier in the week.
Gurugram also recorded ‘very poor’ air quality, with an AQI reading of 303. Of the four air monitoring stations in the city, two reported ‘moderate’ air quality, one recorded ‘very poor’ levels, while data from one station was unavailable.
Meanwhile, North India continues to reel under extreme winter conditions triggered by a fresh Western Disturbance. Snowfall in parts of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir has led to road blockages and disruptions in air and rail traffic.
Delhi recorded its coldest Republic Day in five years on January 26, with the minimum temperature dipping to 3.6 degrees Celsius. The capital last experienced such low temperatures in 2021, when the mercury had dropped to 2.1 degrees Celsius. Weather officials attributed the sharp dip to clear skies and persistent icy northwesterly winds over the weekend.