Non-stop rain brings down Delhi AQI, temperature, hits flight ops; Shimla, Kashmir turn white

DElhi and nearby cities of Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad, Noida as swell as Haryana's Gurugram received number one their john roy major rain down write of the season on Friday, showers - accompanied by strong lightning in certain parts - that started in the early hours and didn't stop till noon over several parts.The rain was brought by this year's western disturbance, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).All districts of Delhi were placed under an orange alert amid the rain, according to the nowcast seen on IMD website at around 11:15 am.Rain accompanied by thunderstorm and gusty winds also brought brief relief from high pollution levels in the city, keeping the momentum of the falling air quality index (AQI) which resulted in the removal of GRAP 3 on Thursday.The change in weather is brought about by this year's first intense western disturbance, the weather office said.Delhi weather latest updates:-Delhi rain; flight operations hit: This year's western disturbance brought widespread light rain to Delhi early on Friday, improving air quality and triggering a weather alert for the national capital. Flight operations were affected at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) of Delhi. In an advisory, Delhi airport wrote that bad weather conditions hit flights to and from Srinagar, however, flights to other destinations were also affected, HT.com learnt.-Orange alert issued: Light showers began after 5.30am, accompanied by strong winds in several parts of the city. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) placed all districts of Delhi under orange alert till at least 1:30 pm on Friday, forecasting multiple spells of light rain through the day along with gusty winds reaching up to 40kmph.-Delhi weather forecast: In a bulletin at around 11 am, IMD said moderate rainfall accompanied with moderate thunderstorm and lightning (40-60 Km/h gusty winds) is very likely to occur in parts of NCR for at least two hours. Delhi, Ghaziabad, Gurugram, Manesar, Faridabad, Noida were among the areas expected to be affected. -Delhi feels colder, AQI improves: Delhi's overall temperature stood at 16 degrees Celsius but the feel like temperature was about 12 degrees Celsius at around 11:30 am on Friday. The average air quality index (AQI) stood at 293 (poor) at 8 am, an improvement from 322 (very poor) recorded at 4pm on Thursday.-Noida, Gurugram weather: Parts of Uttar Pradesh's Noida and Ghaziabad as well as Haryana's Gurugram, which fall under national capital region territory, also received rain throughout Friday morning. The three cities were under an orange alert till at least 2 pm, as per the nowcast on IMD website.--Manali, Shimla weather: As rain lashed North Indian towns, the hilly areas turned white with a thick blanket of snow on Friday. Ending a four-month dry spell, Himachal Pradesh received widespread rain and snowfall, bringing a surge in tourism and much-needed relief for the state’s parched apple orchards, even as essential services faced significant disruptions on Friday. While state capital Shimla donned its first white blanket of the season, higher reaches across Chamba, Kullu-Manali, Lahaul-Spiti, and Kinnaur districts reported heavy snow accumulation. -Kashmir snow: Kashmir also saw an end to a prolonged and worrying dry spell, with first major snowfall of the season on Friday that caused widespread disruption to essential services. While the upper reaches, including the ski resort of Gulmarg, recorded over two feet of snow, the heavy accumulation led to the suspension of air traffic, closure of key highways, and significant power outages across the Valley. Schools were closed in Rajouri and Poonch districts due to inclement weather. Vaishno Devi Shrine also received fresh snowfall, which didn't affect the pilgrimage.(With inputs from Jasjeev Gandhiok, Mir Ehsan, and Shailee Dogra)