Delhi was placed under red alert on Friday night, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) warning of moderate thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds with speeds of up to 60-70 kmph, and gusting to 80 kmph, across the city.
The Meteorological Office said light to very light rain is likely in most areas, while isolated areas may receive moderate rain.
A red alert indicates the need to take action and follow safety guidelines issued by the authorities.
Read also | 90 kmph winds, thunderstorm, rain: IMD issues red alert in Delhi; Noida residents get ‘severe weather’ warning
IMD is on red alert
Officials advised people to stay indoors during thunderstorms, avoid taking shelter under trees, and stay away from power poles and flooded areas.
The warning comes after gusty winds were reported in Delhi around 12:27 am.
Earlier, at 11:15 pm on Friday, the IMD had issued an immediate warning saying that dust storms, thunderstorms, moderate to heavy rain and lightning, accompanied by winds of 60-80 kmph gusting to 100 kmph, are very likely to cover the entire Delhi-NCR region during the next two hours.
Read also | Midnight panic in Delhi-NCR as phones scream ‘extremely severe weather’ alert till 1am
Weather activity forecast in Haryana, UP and Rajasthan
The weather activity is also expected to affect many parts of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.
Districts likely to be affected include Panipat, Sonipat, Rohtak, Jhajjar, Rewari, Palwal and Narnaul in Haryana; Meerut, Baghpat, Hapur, Bulandshahr, Mathura, Hathras and Agra in Uttar Pradesh; Bhiwadi, Tigara, Alwar, Bharatpur, Bayana and Dholpur in Rajasthan.
According to experts, the ongoing weather activity is affected by western disturbances over the hills, with rain also expected in Punjab, Haryana and Delhi overnight and on Saturday.
The city recorded a sharp drop in temperatures on Friday. In Safdarjung, the maximum temperature settled at 34.6 degrees Celsius, which is 5.3 degrees Celsius below normal.
The IMD expected the maximum temperature to reach around 37 degrees Celsius and the minimum temperature to be around 23 degrees Celsius on Saturday. A yellow alert has been issued for thunderstorms and rain for today.
