Delhi witnessed a dramatic shift in weather on Wednesday, as sudden rain, gusty winds, and a steep drop in temperatures due to these brought back a winter-like chill to the capital that was warming up to welcome the summer season.. People seen during a sudden dust storm and rain in Delhi on Wednesday, March 18 (Raj K Raj/Hindustan Times). The change was triggered by an active western disturbance over northwest India, which intensified rapidly on Wednesday evening.. Strong winds of up to 68 km/h swept across parts of the city, followed by short but intense spells of rain. Within just an hour, temperatures plunged sharply – from around 29 degrees Celsius to nearly 19 degrees Celsius – catching residents off guard and disrupting normal life, including flight operations at Indira Gandhi Airport (IGI) Airport.. ‘Rare’ weather system. Weather experts described the weather system bringing rain over North India as rare, giving more details on the unusual nature of this system. “An unusual Western Disturbance has reached North India. Its structure is quite different. A trough is situated in a straight line spanning thousands of kilometers, which is generally very rare. It has the capacity to create very strong thunderstorms and thunderclouds, so be cautious and follow IMD,” said Dr. Pradeep, who describes himself as a climate scientist, on X.. The impact is expected to be far from over. Forecasts suggest multiple spells of rain and gusty winds over the next couple of days, keeping temperatures well below the seasonal average. In fact, conditions may resemble peak winter more than mid-March, according to Navdeep Dahiya, an amateur weatherman.. Highlighting the rarity of the temperature dip, Dahiya posted on X on Wednesday, “Rare #Coldday conditions expected on 20th March amid rains in #Delhi NCR #Haryana #Punjab #Chandigarh #Rajasthan & w #UttarPradesh as maximum temperatures are likely in the range of 16 to 22°c at most cities. Would be 10 to 15°c below normal for the day. Bring your woolens out again! ??”. “Get ready for January kind of rains on 19th and 20th March, Sweater weather alert! Moderate to heavy rains, thundershowers and sudden drop in temperatures to a range of 18-24°c maxtemp expected in #Delhi NCR #Chandigarh #Haryana #Punjab #Rajasthan & #UttarPradesh on 20th March. Heavy snowfall accumulation predicted for #Himalayas. Dont pack your jackets yet, might need it for a day or two,” Dahiya said in another post on X.. Yellow alert issued, peak intensity likely on Friday. The sudden cooling has already been evident across Delhi-NCR, with several areas recording light to moderate rainfall and a noticeable chill in the air. Weather experts say the peak intensity of this system is likely to be felt on Friday, March 20, with overcast skies, thunderstorms, and further dips in temperature.. The IMD has issued a yellow alert for Thursday and Friday, forecasting multiple spells of light rain and gusty winds of up to 50 kmph. The maximum t
