New Delhi, May 2: Flight operations were hit as strong winds, thunder, lightning and heavy rains lashed Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR). Even though the change in weather brought a welcome relief from the heat that had gripped the region, flight operations were severely impacted.

The Delhi airport witnessed average delays of 46 minutes for arrivals and 54 minutes for departures, media reports said quoting FlightRadar.

While the Delhi airport and the ground staff tried to manage the delays and irate passengers, many airlines urged travellers to check the status of their flights before heading to the airport.

"Some of our flights to and from Delhi are being delayed or diverted, which is likely to impact our overall flight schedule. We are doing our best to minimize disruptions," Air India said in its statement on X.

According to media reports as many as 40 flights were diverted and nearly 100 delayed by the heavy rainfall that was accompanied by gusty winds and thunder.

Traffic in the national Capital was also thrown out of gear as morning commuters faced waterlogging in many areas like Dwarka, Khanpur, South Extension Ring Road, Minto Road, Lajpat Nagar and Moti Bagh.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert for Delhi, warning of severe thunderstorms and squally winds between 70 and 80 kmph over the next few hours. An intense cloud mass passed over the city, triggering stormy conditions, with Palam station reporting winds of up to 74 kmph.

According to the IMD's weekly forecast, thunderstorms with rain are expected on Saturday also.

Earlier, the IMD predicted that moderate to intense rainfall, accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds reaching 40–90 km/hr, are likely to continue in several areas on Friday, including Delhi-NCR.

Affected regions also included parts of Haryana (Yamunanagar, Karnal, Safidon, Panipat, Sohana, Palwal, Nuh, Aurangabad, Hodal), Uttar Pradesh (Gangoh, Shamli, Kandhla, Nandgaon, Barsana, Raya, Hathras, Mathura, Sadabad, Agra, Jajau), and Rajasthan (Bhiwari, Deeg, Bharatpur).

A fresh and active Western disturbance is likely to impact northwest India from May 2. Under its influence, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit, Baltistan, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand will experience light to moderate rainfall coupled with heavy winds and lightning.

The IMD earlier said a dust storm accompanied with gusty winds is also very likely at isolated places over Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Punjab and Rajasthan.

The IMD also predicted rainfall and snowfall in parts of Himachal Pradesh.

(IANS)

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