A sudden hailstorm lashed parts of Noida on Tuesday as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) placed most cities across the Delhi-NCR region under an orange alert, warning of thunderstorms, lightning and the possibility of hail in Noida, Gurugram, Ghaziabad and Faridabad.
Delhi, meanwhile, remains on a yellow alert, with the IMD forecasting thunderstorms and lightning but no hailstorm warning for the capital. Several residents in Noida shared videos on social media showing hailstones falling on roads and open areas, causing brief disruption to traffic.
Earlier in the day, parts of Delhi witnessed light to moderate rainfall. The IMD had initially issued a red alert for some areas and an orange alert for others, cautioning residents about intense rainfall and potential inconvenience. These alerts were valid until 1:30 pm, during which commuters were advised to remain cautious.
Rain Offers Temporary Air Quality Relief
The fresh spell of rain is expected to bring temporary relief from Delhi’s worsening air quality. On Tuesday morning, the city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) slipped back into the ‘very poor’ category, with a reading of 310 recorded on the CPCB’s Sameer app. This decline came just days after air quality briefly improved following an earlier round of rainfall.
Gurugram also reported very poor air quality, with an AQI of 303. Of the city’s four monitoring stations, two showed moderate air quality, one recorded very poor levels, while data from one station was unavailable.
Coldest Republic Day in Five Years
The national capital also experienced its coldest Republic Day in five years on January 26. Several areas reported extreme coldwave conditions, with the minimum temperature dipping to 3.6 degrees Celsius. The last time Delhi recorded a lower minimum temperature was in 2021, when the mercury fell to 2.1 degrees Celsius.
According to weather officials, the sharp drop in temperature was driven by clear night skies and persistent icy northwesterly winds that swept across the region over the weekend.