At least five flights bound to Delhi have been diverted as rainfall hit the national capital on Thursday afternoon. The diverted flights, including three from Air India , one from Air India Express and one freighter flight from Macau, have been diverted to Noida and Jaipur.
Four were diverted to Jaipur International Airport, while one was redirected to Noida International Airport. The showers also brought a noticeable change to the city’s usual afternoon scenes. Visuals from several prominent locations, including India Gate, Parliament, the Supreme Court and Kashmere Gate ISBT, showed dark skies and rain-soaked surroundings. Among other areas, Palam, Mandi House, Laxmi Nagar and Geeta Colony also witnessed heavy showers.
In its district-level nowcast issued at 1 pm, the IMD predicted moderate rain at many places across the city, to be accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning and winds with speeds of 30-40 kilometres per hour gusting up to 50 kilometres per hour. The alert was valid until 3 pm. The weather office predicted moderate to intense rainfall at the rate of 5-15 mm per hour.
The diverted Air India flights were coming from Ahmedabad, Bhopal and Bengaluru, while the Air India Express flight was on it way from Bhubaneswar, according to officials. Experts said another spell of showers could occur around midnight and continue into Friday morning. Rain lashed Delhi on Thursday as dark clouds blanketed the skies throughout the day, even as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert for moderate showers, thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds, according to news agency PTI .
