For IMD, 3rd time is not a charm with forecast miss

Late Wednesday night, a dense haze of dust blanketed Delhi without warning, choking it through the night and into Thursday morning.

- Jasjeev Gandhiok

NEW DELHI: The sudden intrusion of grit-laden air, which lingered until almost noon, brought visibility down and residents gasping for breath — yet again catching both citizens and authorities off guard.

At the centre of the storm, once more, is the India Meteorological Department (IMD), whose forecast had predicted only "thundery development" and winds of 15-25 km/hr, gusting up to 35km/hr. Nowhere did it mention the scale or severity of the dust that would roll in from Rajasthan's Thar desert.

This marked the third time this month that Delhi's weather turned volatile with no meaningful alert from the country's official weather agency.

Madhavan Rajeevan, former secretary at the Union ministry of earth sciences, said dust storms are typically easier to anticipate than localised thunderstorms. "Thunderstorms can emerge quickly over small regions, making them harder to model. But dust storms that span large distances can and should be predicted with better tools and interpretation," he said.