NEW DELHI: A ‘severe thunderstorm’ with winds blowing at a speed of over 100 kmph ravaged the
national capital on Monday evening, claiming two lives, uprooting more than 100 trees, causing traffic snarls and bringing down mercury by almost 15 notches.
A 50-yr-old man died after portion of a house fell on him near Jama Masjid in central Delhi while a 65-year-old man died after a tree fell in Angoori Bagh, near the Red Fort. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Delhi saw a ‘severe thunderstorm’ on Monday, the first such squall seen in the city since 2018.
Safdarjung Observatory, the base station for Delhi, recorded wind speed of 100kmph. The winds blurred the vision of drivers and led uprooting of old and full-grown trees.
The wind speed at Palam station was recorded as 70 kmph, which disrupted air traffic, leading to over 50 flights being diverted. A squall of such intensity was previously seen in May and June 2018. The IMD describes a ‘severe thunderstorm’ as one where wind speed is more than 87 kmph.
“The impact of the storm was such that it brought down the maximum temperature by 15 degrees just in a little over an hour. The temperature recorded at Safdarjung at 4.20 pm was 40 degrees C, which dropped to 25 degrees C at 5.40 pm,” said RK Jenamani, senior IMD scientist.
IMD officials described the phenomenon as a localised activity resulted by a combination of heat and moisture. “In any area where high temperatures are recorded over three days and there is moisture in the atmosphere, thunder clouds are formed which are rapid and short but severe in intensity. The forecast for such thunder clouds worldwide can be given only around two hours in advance,” said Jenamani.
“A thunderstorm is likely on Tuesday as well while skies will remain partly cloudy, however, it cannot be said at the moment if it could turn into a squall,” said a senior official. As per data from the MCD, 74 trees were uprooted across Delhi while over 25-30 trees are estimated to be damaged in Lutyens Delhi , which is catered to by the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC).
Pictures of large and full-grown trees being uprooted were widely shared on social media. An old banyan tree was seen lying on the ground at New Friends Colony gurudwara. In the NDMC area, which has the highest number of avenue trees, every other street had multiple trees fallen of.
Delhi L-G Vinai K Saxena also tweeted: “Distressed by the sight of uprooted trees, fallen branches and water logging at places after the early evening storm. Instructed officials to take immediate steps to remove debris and clear the roads immediately to mitigate inconvenience to people.”
5 flights diverted, 70 delayed
At least five flights were diverted and 70 delayed at the Delhi international airport due to a thunderstorm that struck the national capital on Monday afternoon, officials said. Heavy rains, accompanied by strong winds, damaged several cars, brought traffic to a grinding halt, left trees uprooted and led to power outages in various parts of Delhi on Monday evening. The officials said at least 40 flight departures and 30 arrivals were delayed due to the thunderstorm. Moreover, at least five arrivals were diverted due to the thunderstorm, they added. The Indira Gandhi International Airport reported winds gusting up to 100 kmph. The Palam weather station logged a maximum wind speed of 70 kmph.
