Delhi weather: IMD predicts more rainfall, issues yellow alert till March 20; Indigo, SpiceJet warn of ‘slow traffic’

Delhi witnessed rainfall for the second consecutive day on Thursday, March 19. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said, "Light to moderate rainfall accompanied with light thunderstorm and lightning (30-40 Km/h gusty winds) is very likely to occur at many places of Delhi and NCR."

The weather department also predicted hail storm/thunderstorm with moderate rainfall and lightning in Khairthal, Kotputli and Alwar (Rajasthan) on Thursday evening.

The IMD added, "Light to moderate rainfall accompanied with light thunderstorm and lightning (30-40 Km/h gusty winds) is very likely to occur at Panipat, Gohana, Gannaur, Sonipat, Rohtak, Kharkhoda, Charkhi Dadri, Mattanhail, Jhajjar, Farukhnagar, Kosali, Sohana, Rewari, Bawal, Nuh (Haryana) Shamli, Kandhla, Baraut, Bagpat, Khekra (U.P.) Bhiwari, Tizara (Rajasthan)."

"Light rainfall (20-30 Km/h winds) is very likely to occur at Yamunanagar, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Narwana, Karnal, Rajaund, Assandh, Safidon, Barwala, Jind, Hissar, Hansi, Siwani, Meham, Tosham, Bhiwani, Loharu, Mahendargarh, Palwal, Narnaul, Aurangabad, Hodal (Haryana) Saharanpur, Gangoh, Deoband, Nazibabad, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnaur, Khatauli, Sakoti Tanda, Hastinapur, Chandpur, Daurala, Meerut, Modinagar, Kithor, Amroha, Garhmukteshwar, Pilakhua, Hapur, Gulaoti, Siyana, Sambhal, Sikandrabad, Bulandshahar, Jahangirabad, Anupshahar, Bahajoi, Shikarpur, Khurja, Pahasu, Debai, Narora, Gabhana (U.P.) Sadulpur, Pilani (Rajasthan) during next 2 hours," the IMD said.

The airlines said, "With thundershower 🌧️✈️ expected to pass over #Delhi and #Bangalore, departures and arrivals may be slightly impacted. While our teams are preparing well in advance to keep things running smoothly, the weather may slow things down a touch."

"If you're travelling today, we recommend checking your flight status on our website or app before heading out through https://bit.ly/4bCoWYk. Please also allow for some extra travel time as road traffic may also be affected. Thank you for your patience as we navigate this weather together," IndiGo wrote on X.

At the same time, Air India said that persistent rain and gusty winds in Delhi and parts of northern India during the day "may affect flight operations to/from Delhi and some other cities."

"We request you to check your flight status here https://airindia.com/in/en/manage/flight-status.html before leaving for the airport and allow yourself more time for your journey due to possible slow traffic," Air India added.

"A spell of very light/light rain accompanied with thunderstorm/lightning and strong surface winds 30-40 kmph gusting to 50 kmph likely in the morning. One or two spell of light to moderate rain accompanied with thunderstorm/lightning and strong surface winds 30-40 kmph gusting to 50 kmph in the forenoon to evening," the IMD added.