Pre-monsoon time to blame: IMD after mild warning fails

If one were to follow the India Meteorological Department's (IMD) forecasts from Wednesday onwards, Delhi seemed in for a relatively mild spell of rain: a moderate thunderstorm on Thursday evening, followed by light rain or drizzle and winds up to 50 km/hour on Friday.

- Jasjeev Gandhiok

NEW DELHI:

But what unfolded on Friday morning was anything but mild. An intense thunderstorm swept across the Capital at dawn, catching the city off guard. Gusts reaching up to 80 km/hr lashed the city, accompanied by heavy rain. By the time IMD upgraded its forecast to a red alert on its website by 5am—warning of a "severe" thunderstorm and heavy rain—the storm was already in full force in parts of the city. Finally at 5.30am, IMD issued a press briefing, announcing the upgradation of its forecast to red alert.

Safdarjung, the city's base station, recorded 77mm of rainfall by 8.30am — Delhi's second-highest 24-hour May rainfall in over a century. The only time this was surpassed was on May 20, 2021, when 119.3mm fell due to the remnants of Cyclone Tauktae, officials said.