Heavy rain in Delhi-NCR as IMD sounds orange alert, airport issues advisory

HEavy rain down lashed new delhi and the subject working capital neighborhood (NCR) on Tuesday, with the India Meteorological Department issuing an orange alert for parts of the city.According to IMD's nowcast warnings, an alert has been sounded for North Delhi, North East Delhi, Central Delhi, New Delhi, South Delhi, South East Delhi, and Gurugram.The weather department's warning said that moderate rainfall accompanied by light thunderstorms and lightning, at the a speed of 30-40 Km/h, is very likely to occur in the entire capital and NCR areas.The alert was also sounded for Sonipat, Kharkhoda, Farukhnagar, Bagpat, and Khekhra.A warning for light rain and thunderstorms was also issued for Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Narwana, Fatehabad, Panipat, Gannaur, Jhajjar, Kosali, Mahendargarh, Sohana, Rewari, Narnaul, Bawal, Nuh, Shamli, Kandhla, Baraut, Pilakhua, Sikandra Rao, Hathras, Tundla, Firozabad, Shikohabad, Bhiwari, Tizara, Khairthal, Kotputli, Viratnagar, Rajgarh, Mahawa, Mahandipur Balaji, and Dholpur.The capital city witnessed rainfall earlier in the day as well, with the sky growing darker, indicating heavier downpour later in the day.The weather department had issued yellow and orange alerts for Delhi, predicting moderate rainfall with light thunderstorms and lightning.The minimum temperature in Delhi was recorded at 21 degrees Celsius on Tuesday morning, 1.3 notches below normal. The weather department said that the maximum temperature is likely to settle around 35 degrees Celsius.At 9 am, the capital's air quality index (AQI) stood at 68 in the 'satisfactory' category, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).According to the CPCB, an AQI between zero and 50 is considered "good", 51 to 100 "satisfactory", 101 to 200 "moderate", 201 to 300 "poor", 301 to 400 "very poor" and 401 to 500 "severe".Delhi Airport issues advisoryDelhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport issued an advisory for passengers, saying that flight operations may be impacted."Due to inclement weather conditions in Delhi, flight operations at Delhi airport may be impacted. Our on-ground teams are diligently working with all stakeholders to ensure a seamless and efficient passenger experience," the advisory said.It asked passengers to consider alternative modes of transport, including the Delhi Metro, to get to the Airport to avoid potential delays."Passengers are requested to contact the airline concerned for updated flight information," it added.