Midnight panic in Delhi-NCR as phones scream ‘extremely severe weather’ alert till 1 am

PHones buzzed multiple times crosswise new delhi and adjoining areas, from th eventide boulder clay the early hours of Friday, with emergency alert warnings of a severe thunderstorm, along with lightning, heavy rainfall and strong winds in several parts of the national capital region.Rain, thunderstorms and gusty winds lashed parts of Delhi on Thursday night and continued into the early hours, offering little relief from the intense heat and humidity experienced during the day.As alerts from the government's cell broadcast emergency warning system appeared on mobile phones, many people shared their reactions on social media, raising concerns about the loud notification sounds. The warning is part of the Centre's efforts aimed to improve emergency communication during disasters, emergencies and severe weather events.What was the alert?Residents in Delhi, along with people in Noida and Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, received repeated weather warnings from Thursday night onwards, warning them about severe thunderstorms, lightning and moderate to heavy rainfall.Titled "Extremely Severe Alerts", one of the alerts said, "Severe Thunderstorm (wind speed 70-90 KMph gusting to 100 kmph or more) with Lightning and Moderate to intense spell of rain and Hail is very likely to occur at a few places over Agra, Aligarh, Baghpat, Bijnor, Ghaziabad, Hapur, Hathras, Mathura, Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Saharanpur, Shamli in next 3 hours (sic)."Netizens on ‘extremely severe alert’ warningsThe alerts were reportedly sent to smartphones across Delhi-NCR three times: 8.50 pm, 10 pm and 1.15 am. The warnings appeared on mobile phones, accompanied by a loud notification sound.As the alerts continued to sound on phones, several residents turned to social media to share their views, especially about the warning sent after 1 am on Friday.“How do I stop my phone from beeping for emergency alerts for wind and rain. Got two alerts since evening, and it didn't even rain yet,” a user wrote on X.Most users complained about the loud sounds saying it “may trigger anxiety” during the night.A user wrote on Reddit that it “gave me a heart attack” when the warning arrived early in the morning. “The worst thing I was about to fall asleep,” the user added. “While safety matters, blasting a loud alarm in the middle of the night can seriously disturb people who are sleeping and may trigger anxiety or knee-jerk reactions in some,” an X user posted.“More people will die due to this alert than the actual storm,” a netizen wrote.Another said, “Who are these retards, who are disturbing our sleep just to tell that wind and rain is coming, that too at midnight time?”“Emergency alerts are creating more panic than real storms. Stop this menace. Save these alert systems for real threats, not some silly weather changes. In the middle of night, phones start buzzing with an irritating sound,” another user posted. A user posted on Reddit, “The automated messages about weather and stuff, why are we receiving it around 1am?”“This alert thing is highly annoying. Should only be used in the rarest situations like airstrikes,” another user wrote on X. Red alert in DelhiNotably, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert for Delhi during the early hours of Friday. However, an orange alert remained in place overall, advising residents to be careful due to severe weather conditions.According to the weather office, thunderstorms, lightning and strong surface winds of 70-80 kmph, gusting up to 90 kmph, were expected.It also forecast rain in most areas, including moderate showers at isolated places. Dust-raising winds were also likely in several parts of the city.