Weather: Delhi experiences sharp temperature drop amid heavy rain, IMD issues hailstorm alert for North India

Delhi faces heavy rainfall, waterlogging, and traffic disruptions, with temperatures plummeting to 15 degree Celsius, and the IMD issuing an 'orange' alert, predicting more showers and hailstorms in North India.

New Delhi: There was moderate to heavy rainfall in Delhi and surrounding areas on Friday, leading to a significant drop in temperatures. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an 'orange' alert for Delhi, indicating heavy rainfall, and a hailstorm alert for several regions in North India.

The rain, which began early in the morning, caused disruptions to traffic in various parts of South, Central, and North Delhi. Waterlogging was also reported in low-lying areas, with the highest rainfall recorded at Delhi University's North Campus.

Temperatures plummeted, with the maximum temperature on Friday reaching only 15 degrees Celsius, a nearly 10-degree drop from Thursday. The difference between the maximum and minimum temperatures was a mere 3 degrees Celsius.

The IMD predicts additional showers in the city over the next few hours, driven by a Western Disturbance interacting with easterly winds. 

As per the IMD alert, heavy rainfall is likely in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana-Chandigarh-Delhi, West Uttar Pradesh, East Rajasthan, and West Madhya Pradesh on December 27.

Also, thunderstorms accompanied by hailstorms are likely in Southeast Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, East Rajasthan, Vidarbha, Madhya Maharashtra, Marathwada, and Gujarat Region.

Cold wave conditions are expected to prevail in parts of Himachal Pradesh starting Sunday. Rajasthan is experiencing cold conditions, with light to moderate rain reported in many regions of the state. The lowest minimum temperature of was recorded in Churu (5.4 degrees Celsius).