Blurred Lines Of Regional Weather: What’s Behind The Unseasonal Thunderstorms In Delhi-NCR?

Delhi: Gusty winds, thunderstorms, and intense rains disrupted daily life and caused widespread destruction in Delhi and Delhi-NCR in the early hours of Sunday. This sudden change has left many questioning and looking for reasons behind it. 

Even though the downpour offered respite from the scorching heat, it also raised concerns over drastic climatic changes. Some are even associating the cause with eastern India’s Nor’wester or Kalbaisakhi, a pre-monsoon thunderstorm that usually occurs in April and May across West Bengal, Odisha, Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, and parts of Bangladesh.

Traditionally, Kalbaisakhi is linked to Eastern India, but the recent rainfall in Delhi exhibited various hallmarks of it, like strong winds, heavy rainfall, lightning, and localised change. Climate change is believed to be the reason behind it. 

Experts say the shift could be a result of a combination of pre-monsoon weather systems that converged over the region. Look at some possible causes below: 

1. The Mediterranean brings in low-pressure systems to North India. The abrupt interaction with high temperatures and moisture of the local areas can resultantly trigger thunderstorms and heavy rainfall. To worsen the situation, if the moisture-laden winds hit the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal, it could cause extreme weather, and this could be behind the weekend’s recent shift in weather. 
2. Cyclonic circulations in the upper air over Haryana and Punjab might have intensified the activity and given a push to the widespread hail and rainfall in Delhi-NCR. 
3. Shifting global temperatures are already altering weather patterns and blurring the lines between the regional weather occurrences, as can be seen in Kalbaisakhi conditions found in Delhi rain, and to fuel it even further the intense summer heat and surrounding regions affected the thunderstorms.

As the monsoon season approaches, stay alert and pay attention to infrastructure damage, power outages, and floods near you. Avoid going out during thunderstorms and stay away from open areas. Also, keep track of Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) alerts.