The Delhi-NCR region was on Saturday struck by a sudden spell of thunderstorms and heavy rains, bringing the mercury down a few notches and relief from the scorching heat.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for the region and in parts of northern India.
Respite from heatwave
The sudden change in weather brought down temperatures, providing a welcome break from the scorching conditions that had gripped the city in recent days.
In its latest warning, the IMD stated, "Light to moderate rain, thunderstorm or dust storm with lightning and gusty winds reaching speeds of 40 to 60 kmph is very likely at many places across Delhi in the next three hours."
Isolated spells of rain were reported in several areas of Delhi, including Central Delhi, Maharani Bagh, and Mayur Vihar, as well as NCR regions such as Ghaziabad and Noida.
Noida also reported incidents of trees uprooting due to strong winds. A traffic signal pole at the DM Chowk in Sector 27 fell over a car but no injuries were reported.
Visuals shared by news agency ANI showed rain lashing busy roads, offering much-needed respite from the persistent heat.
The national capital woke to a cloudy sky, with a minimum temperature of 24.3 degrees Celsius, which is 2.2 degrees below the seasonal average, according to the IMD.
The IMD had earlier forecast a thunderstorm with rain later in the day, predicting a maximum temperature around 42 degrees Celsius.
At 8:30 am, the relative humidity stood at 55 percent. The city's air quality was recorded in the "moderate" category, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 183 at 9 am, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
As per the CPCB classification, an AQI between zero and 50 is considered 'good', 51 to 100 'satisfactory', 101 to 200 'moderate', 201 to 300 'poor', 301 to 400 'very poor', and 401 to 500 'severe'.
(With ANI inputs)