Delhi: Rains lash the national capital; 10 trains delayed
What's the story
After hailstorms and rain lashed Delhi-NCR last week, parts of the national capital were once again battered by rains on Thursday. The rains, and the consequent fog, resulted in at least 10 trains headed towards Delhi getting delayed due to low visibility conditions. Meanwhile, budget carrier IndiGo, canceled dozens of flights, as its flight operations continue to suffer disruption. Here are the details.
Forecast
More rain, hailstorms likely over next 24-48 hours
Thursday rains were resultant of yet another western disturbance, whose frequency and intensity this winter have been quite unusual. Moderate rain and hailstorms are also expected to affect parts of North India over the next 24-48 hours, with heavy rainfall predicted over parts of Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh on February 14. Meanwhile, a red category warning has been issued for Jammu and Kashmir, and Himachal Pradesh.
Disturbances
The unusual frequency and intensity of western disturbances
The western disturbance began on February 13, and is likely to continue till February 15, affecting the plains of northern and central India. Notably, this is the 10th western disturbance to have hit India this winter season, and an 11th one is expected next week. Some of them have also been quite intense. This is far above the average of five to six western disturbances Indian experiences every winter.
Disruption
The weather, expectedly, has disrupted transportation
Owing to the weather, news agency ANI, on Thursday, reported that 10 trains bound for the national capital had been delayed due to fog. Meanwhile, IndiGo, keeping with its earlier notification, canceled dozens of flights. The budget carrier has still to recover from the disruption it faced last week owing to poor weather in the NCR region, and is canceling around 30 flights daily.
Air quality
The good news is that air quality will improve
However, there is some good news for Delhi-NCR. According to the Centre-run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting (SAFAR), the thunderstorms and high winds associated with the western disturbances is likely to improve air quality in the national capital which remained in the 'very poor' category on Wednesday. Air quality is expected to improve to 'moderate'.