A thunderstorm accompanied by heavy rain battered Delhi overnight, disrupting flight operations, uprooting trees and electricity poles, and causing waterlogging in several areas while bringing relief from stifling heat. The sudden change in weather led to a sharp drop in mercury with the city recording a minimum temperature of 19.8 degrees Celsius, 6.9 notches below the normal. The India Meteorological Department said the city's primary weather station at Safdarjung recorded winds gusting up to 82 kmph and 81.2 mm of rain in six hours -- between 11.30 pm and 5.30 am.
On the weather front, dense fog led to a sharp drop in visibility, with Palam recording 50 metres visibility under dense fog conditions with west-southwesterly winds at 5 kmph at 8 am, while Safdarjung reported 100 metres visibility with calm winds at the same time.
Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood announced the installation of air purifiers in 10,000 classrooms to combat pollution and ensure clean air for students, criticizing the previous government's approach.
Dense fog disrupted operations at Delhi airport, leading to cancellations and delays of hundreds of flights. Airlines are offering refunds and rescheduling options.
From a few rain gauges in 1875 to rivalling the world's best weather agencies, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has weathered its way to becoming a global leader in forecasting.
A thick layer of toxic smog enveloped the national capital on Saturday as air quality deteriorated sharply, prompting the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to invoke the strictest curbs under Stage IV of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) across Delhi-NCR.
'A solid motor, once ignited, burns until the propellant is exhausted. It cannot simply stop mid-burn,' said a retired senior ISRO official. 'That is what makes this failure puzzling.' Venkatachari Jagannathan reports on the latest PSLV failure.
The first cloud-seeding trial has been conducted in parts of Delhi, including Burari and Karol Bagh areas, aimed at inducing artificial rain to tackle air pollution.
England had moved to within 35 runs of securing a famous victory over India when bad light and torrential rain ended an extraordinary fourth day of the final Test at The Oval on Sunday.
If Xi Jinping can establish control over the PLA Ground Force, relations between India and China will settle down to an even keel. The next few weeks will show whether Xi has finally succeeded in gaining control over the PLA Ground Force. That could bring about the substantive shift in India-China relations that both our leaders have been working for, observes Ambassador Prabhat Shukla.
Sri Lanka is facing a severe crisis after Cyclone Ditwah caused widespread flooding and landslides, resulting in numerous deaths and displacement. India has launched 'Operation Sagar Bandhu' to provide relief. The situation is expected to remain critical with rising river levels and continued rainfall.
For March 22, an Orange Alert has been issued while a Yellow Alert has been issued for Sunday.
Cyclone Ditwah exits Sri Lanka after causing widespread destruction and over 120 deaths, heading towards the Indian coast. Heavy rains and high winds are expected to continue.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reports that ash clouds from volcanic activity in Ethiopia, which impacted flight operations in India, are drifting towards China and will move away from India by 7.30 pm on Tuesday.
President Droupadi Murmu has given her assent to the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, which aims to replace MGNREGA and guarantee 125 days of wage employment per rural household.
"Montha over westcentral Bay of Bengal moved north-northwestwards with a speed of 17 kmph during the past six hours and lay centred at 2.30 am on October 28 over the same region about 230 km south-southeast of Machilipatnam (and) 310 km south-southeast of Kakinada," said the Met Department in a release.
West Indies pace puts New Zealand on the ropes in Christchurch
Several parts of Mumbai received heavy rainfall in the last 24 hours, with Vikhroli reporting the highest downpour. The IMD reported significant rainfall in various areas of the city.
India's batting coach Sitanshu Kotak dismissed the notion that the senior duo looked rusty, countering suggestions that their preparation had been insufficient.
Cyclone Shakhti, the first cyclonic storm of the post-monsoon season in the Arabian Sea, has intensified.
The Odisha government has initiated evacuations and deployed disaster response teams in anticipation of Cyclone 'Montha', which is expected to impact the southern and coastal regions of the state.
Chamari Athapaththu blames defeats to India, England for Women's World Cup setback
The Jammu and Kashmir government has ordered the closure of Darbar Move offices in Srinagar on October 31, following Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's announcement to restore the tradition. The Darbar Move, which involves shifting government offices between Srinagar and Jammu, was scrapped in 2021 but is now being reinstated.
In Rajasthan, Pilani recorded 44.9 degrees Celsius, Phalodi and Churu touched 43.8 degrees Celsius and 43.5 degrees Celsius respectively, while Bikaner and Jaipur registered 43.4 degrees Celsius and 43 degrees Celsius.
Even as the rain poured, the mood in the stands never did. Ponchos, cheers and chants filled the arena as fans danced through the drizzle, refusing to let the weather wash away their excitement.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a 'red alert', warning of extremely heavy rainfall in Mumbai, Thane, Raigad and Palghar districts on Sunday, extending the wet patch in the region.
The Sikkim government has announced the opening of Doka-La and Cho-La battlefields for domestic tourists starting October 1, under the Bharat Ranbhoomi Darshan initiative. Strict guidelines for security and environmental protection will be in place.
Indigo airlines cancelled 13 flights from Hyderabad airport, causing chaos and frustration among passengers. The cancellations were attributed to technology and operational issues.
Their campaign in disarray, Sri Lanka will hope for some respite as they seek a maiden win in the women's World Cup when they take on another struggling outfit in Bangladesh, in Navi Mumbai on Monday.
The DGCA has formed two specialised teams to internally monitor IndiGo's daily operations.
Heavy rains in Rajasthan lead to flooding, resulting in casualties and widespread disruption. Rescue operations are underway, and schools are closed in several districts.
'The natural barrier that is Aravalli, you are demolishing it, then who will stop the desert?' 'In future, I predict that people will roam around with oxygen cylinders in Delhi because they won't be able to breathe.'
Meanwhile, the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) issued high sea waves, up to 4.7 metres high, warning across several coastal districts.
New Zealand, champions in 2000, are just outside the top four with three points from as many games.
Severe cyclonic storm 'Montha' has begun making landfall off the Andhra Pradesh coast, with the process expected to continue for the next three to four hours. The storm is expected to cross the coast between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam, near Kakinada, with wind speeds of 90-100 kmph.
One of the major concerns highlighted by the DGCA was about the fact that not all staff had completed mandatory fatigue management training.
The heaviest communication satellite to be launched from the Indian soil onboard a new generation, homegrown 'Bahubali' rocket was successfully placed into the intended orbit on Sunday, the Indian Space Research Organisation said.
A 22-year-old youth and a person with disability died, while at least 11 were injured, in separate rain-related incidents in the national capital on Wednesday evening. The incidents occurred amid sudden changes in weather in Delhi, as a rainy storm marked by hail wrecked havoc across the city, throwing traffic out of gear as far as Delhi-Noida, Delhi-Ghaziabad, and Delhi-Gurugram roads and uprooting several trees.
Heavy rains battered Jammu and Kashmir, triggering floods, damaging infrastructure, and disrupting normal life. Authorities issued advisories and rescue operations were conducted.
A cold wave has intensified in most parts of north India, with temperatures in the Kashmir Valley dipping below freezing point. The national capital saw a brief respite from the bitter cold during the day, but cold conditions persisted in parts of Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh. The weather department has issued a yellow warning for cold wave, ground frost and dense fog for some places in Himachal Pradesh. There is a possibility of rain and snowfall in parts of northwest India later in the week.
