Delhi reeled under extreme and chaotic weather on Wednesday, with the day beginning in a furnace and ending in a deadly frenzy.
In the afternoon, the “real feel” temperature had soared past 50°C for the first time this year, a result of scorching heat paired with high humidity. But by evening, the skies unleashed a storm so fierce it brought the city to a halt, and left at least two people dead.
A thunderstorm swept through the Capital around 8pm, packing winds of nearly 80 km/hr, uprooting trees, damaging power lines, halting flights, disrupting metro services, and plunging many neighbourhoods into darkness. In parts of west, central, southeast and east Delhi, hailstones pelted the ground as sudden, intense rainfall drenched the city.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) attributed the spell to a cyclonic circulation over Haryana and an east-west trough from Punjab to Bangladesh, drawing moisture from both the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal.
Wind speeds clocked 79 km/hr at Safdarjung, 78 km/hr at Pragati Maidan and 74 km/hr at Palam, IMD data showed. By 8.30pm, the temperature had plummeted from 37°C to 23°C at Palam. Rainfall recorded till that time included 12.1mm at Safdarjung, 2.1mm at Palam, 13.5mm at Mayur Vihar and 5mm at Pitampura.
“The sudden weather change was due to a cyclonic circulation embedded in a trough, fed by moisture from both seas,” said IMD scientist Krishna Mishra.
As the windstorm raged, more than two dozen large trees were uprooted, blocking key roads.
An unidentified wheelchair-bound man, who was in his 30s, died after an electricity pole fell on him near the Lodhi Road flyover. Police said the man was on his wheelchair-tricycle when the pole crushed him. Police said he had succumbed to the injuries at the spot. The other death took place in Gokalpuri Block D, where a tree fell on 22-year-old Md Azhar around 8.15pm, when he was returning home to Maujpur on his motorbike.
DCP (northeast) Ashish Mishra said, “Due to strong winds and rainfall, a tree got uprooted and fell on two bikes. A man was trapped under the tree. He had sustained severe injuries and was taken to GTB Hospital in a PCR van. He died during treatment.”
In North Delhi’s Kashmere Gate, police said the roof of a juice stall collapsed due to the storm and a 55-year-old man was injured, but is stable. The incident took place in front of state election commission office.
A senior traffic police officer said the Mathura Road carriageway from Neela Gumbad to Ashram was choked after a tree collapsed on it. Another tree came down on Teen Murti Marg. “Luckily, no one was injured,” he added.
At least 12 flights were diverted from Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport between 7.45pm and 8.45pm, mostly to Jaipur and one to Mumbai, according to officials. Over 50 flights were delayed. Airlines, including IndiGo and Air India, issued advisories warning of disruptions and asking passengers to check flight statuses before heading to the airport.
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) reported that strong winds disrupted services on the Red, Yellow and Pink Lines due to external objects damaging overhead equipment (OHE) at several points. Normal operations resumed on all three lines by 11pm.
Meanwhile, traffic crawled across major intersections including ITO, Connaught Place, CV Raman Marg, Okhla, South Avenue, Akbar Road and the Delhi Noida Direct Flyway. Many commuters had to halt their vehicles amid the hailstorm.
Delhi Fire Services (DFS) said they received 25 calls regarding fallen trees till 9:30 pm. A fire officer said many of the calls were repeats, and teams had been dispatched across the city for clearance. In the NDMC area alone, trees were uprooted in Khan Market, C-Hexagon near India Gate, Gole Market, Teen Murti, Sansad Marg, Bangla Sahib Road, Ashoka Road and near Safdarjung Airport.
Power outages were reported from multiple areas, including Bawana, Narela, Jahangirpuri, Civil Lines, Shakti Nagar, Model Town, Wazirabad, Dhirpur and Burari. Discoms attributed the blackouts to trees and branches falling on electrical lines. Quick-response teams were deployed to restore supply.
Earlier in the day, Delhi sweltered under high heat and humidity. Around 2.30pm, the city’s Heat Index—or the “real feel” temperature—hit 50.2°C, up from 49.6°C the previous day. The actual maximum temperature stood at 40.7°C.
The weather whiplash also pushed up power demand. For a third straight day, Delhi hit a season-high, peaking at 7,748 MW at 3:29 pm—its highest ever demand recorded in the first three weeks of May. On Tuesday, demand had reached 7,401 MW in the afternoon and climbed further to 7,553 MW by 10:54 pm. Monday’s peak was 7,265 MW.
IMD had forecast hot and humid conditions for Wednesday, with a possibility of dust storms and thunderstorms in the evening with gusts up to 50 km/hr. It has now issued a yellow alert for both Thursday and Friday. While Thursday is expected to remain hot and humid with no major storm forecast, Friday may see a repeat of gusty winds up to 50 km/hr and another round of thunderstorm activity.
Meanwhile, in a separate development earlier in the day, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) invoked Stage-1 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), as Delhi’s air quality index (AQI) remained in the ‘poor’ category for the third day in a row. The 24-hour average AQI stood at 213, up from 204 the previous day. Stage-1 measures include intensified water sprinkling, mechanised road sweeping and tighter dust control at construction sites.