A severe storm with heavy rain and hail struck Delhi and the National Capital Region on May 13, 2024, disrupting air travel and infrastructure.
The sudden weather shift caused significant chaos at the city's airports, highlighting the vulnerability of the region's transportation hubs to extreme weather events during the transition into summer.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an orange weather alert as a low-pressure system brought violent winds and precipitation to the area. According to an IMD official, the city experienced a temperature drop of 10-11°C [5] after 8 p.m. on May 13, 2024 [7].
Wind speeds varied across reports, with the IMD recording a maximum of 98 km/hr [1], while other reports indicated speeds reaching 100 km/hr [2]. These gusts, combined with hail, created hazardous conditions for aviation. Airline operators said that over 500 flights were delayed [3], and 15 flights were forced to divert [4].
"We had extremely strong winds, touching 98 km/hr," the IMD official said. "There was also a dip in temperature after 8 pm across most parts of the city by 10-11°."
The storm provided a brief respite from a severe heatwave that had been gripping the region. However, the relief was short-lived; the IMD projected temperatures to reach 42°C by May 17, 2024 [6].
Local authorities monitored the impact of the storm across the NCR, where the combination of high-velocity winds and hail caused immediate disruptions to visibility and safety for commuters and pilots alike.
“Over 500 flights were delayed”
The event underscores the volatility of weather patterns in Northern India, where sudden low-pressure systems can cause extreme temperature swings and operational paralysis for critical infrastructure. The scale of flight delays indicates that even short-duration storms can create a cascading backlog in one of the region's busiest aviation corridors.
