You could see it coming on Tuesday afternoon as a fast-moving front roared into Delhi, Noida and Gurugram. The strong winds had commuters putting on the brakes while visibility was all but gone. The IMD put out an orange alert for the thunder and gusts that are sure to throw a wrench in your day, even if the mercury has at last come down from a few days of being in the red.
Dust storm slashes visibility, triggers orange alert
The IMD says you can expect some light rain and the odd flash of lightning in pockets of the NCR. We’re talking wind in the 50 to 80 kmph range, which is a hazard for anyone out and about, be they in a car or on foot.
They have a word of caution: don’t expect things to let up for the next few hours. An orange alert is there for a reason – it means there’s going to be some disruption and everyone from the authorities to the man on the street needs to be ready. Plan your trip and don’t linger outside.
Temperatures dip after scorching spell
It’s a welcome change from the hot, muggy air that has been in a vice on Delhi-NCR. Tuesday’s low in Delhi came in at 26.8 degrees C, and you’ll see some clouds for most of the day.
But don’t get too comfortable; the city will still be warm in the daytime. The numbers put the high in the 39-40 degree mark.
Where the system is headed next
If you ask the meteorologists, the trouble started in bits of Gurugram and has since made its way to Delhi and the surrounding area. From here, it’s an easterly move, with more dust and storms to follow in the NCR.
It won’t just be Delhi, Noida and Gurugram. Haryana towns like Sonipat, Rohtak, Jhajjar, Rewari and Palwal are in the crosshairs. Over in UP, keep an eye on Bagpat, Sikandrabad and Barsana, and in Rajasthan, Alwar and Deeg. The message is to be on guard, to not go out when the wind is up and to avoid making trips you don’t have to.
IMD’s wider alert across India
There’s a lot of severe weather in the cards for Tuesday in several parts of the country. The weather body has us on notice for thunder, lightning and hard winds in the Gangetic plains of West Bengal, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and Chandigarh through June 25.
The list of places under the alert is long: Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are in on it too. The agency is warning of what’s to come from Bihar to the Northeast, and from J&K right down to Kerala.
Assam, Meghalaya, sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim are in for some heavy to very heavy rain. You may also see it in Bihar, Arunachal, the Karnataka coast, central Maharashtra, Goa, Odisha, Telangana, Kerala and a good part of the northeast.
What residents should do now
When the wind picks up and you can’t see where you’re going, the road and any open ground become a risk. The IMD is making it clear we need to be on top of things as the storm line comes in.
Some things to bear in mind:
– If the wind is howling, stay in
– Don’t make a trip if you can help it
– Put on the brakes and be careful with your eyes on the road
– Keep an ear to the ground for any new word from the IMD
For the next few hours, the skies over Delhi-NCR aren’t going to be kind. With the possibility of thunder and gales in some spots until the 25th, it’s a case of planning your commute with care, heeding the alerts and being ready for a bit of rain that might offer a moment’s respite from the 39 to 40 degree highs.
