Red Alert In Delhi-NCR As Dust Storm, Rain Hit Region, Many Flights Diverted

New Delhi: A sudden dust storm gripped Delhi, Noida and other areas in the national capital region on Friday evening for the second consecutive day, bringing mercury down and relief from the scorching heat.

The IMD had issued a red alert for Delhi-NCR till 9 PM today for dust storm alerting residents not to venture out.

Visuals from different places in Delhi including near Jawaharlal Nehru stadium, Mandi House, Vikas Puri and other areas showed stormy winds gripping the region as people look for shelter and cover themselves.

On Thursday evening also, the Delhi-NCR region was hit by a dust storm that brought relief from the soaring temperature very early in the month of April. The weather department had earlier predicted that parts of north India will continue to remain pleasant for the coming days, however later, the region is set to face long days of heatwave. It advised especially the elders and youth to not venture oath unless necessary during the heatwave, keep themselves hydrated and cover their head properly when they are out of their home.    

Several areas in Delhi, Noida have reported massive tree falling over parked vehicles including four and two wheelers, causing large scale damage.

According to reports, several flights who are scheduled to land in Delhi have been diverted, especially after IMD's red alert till 9 PM for today. A total of 15 flights were diverted, and several were delayed at the Delhi airport, Airport sources said.

Not just the Delhi-NCR, but other cities in northern India including Ghaziabad, Meerut, Muzaffarnagar also witnessed a sudden change in the weather as these areas have also been hit by dust storm.  

The sudden change in weather in northern India has come after higher reaches in states including Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh witnessed a fresh spell of snowfall while slightly lower reaches experienced rainfall at isolated places. In Delhi-NCR region also, many areas say very light rain.