It’s hard to miss a hailstorm — unless, it would seem, one is the India Meteorological Department (IMD). And so, on Thursday evening, as Delhi’s citizens reported witnessing the unmistakable sights and sounds of hailstones — the clanking on car windshields and helmet visors; the feel of the cold hard ice on their bodies — in several parts of the city, IMD’s monitoring stations inexplicably did not register any such occurrence.

IMD, which had predicted Thursday to be a clear day, first said none of its four stations across the Capital recorded the phenomenon but later added that other radar images indicated a hailstorm in parts of south Delhi.

Commuters and weather watchers among citizens also phoned in the city’s weather monitoring stations to report rain and hail in Bhikaji Cama Place, Mahipalpur, and other locations. The department has forecast light rain and thundershowers in the city on Friday.

Whether that means Delhi should expect a sunny day remains to be seen.

“Radar images indicated that some areas in south Delhi could have been hit by hail. The IMD’s stations at Safdarjung, Palam, Lodhi Road, Ridge and Aya Nagar, however, didn’t record any hailstorm,” said BP Yadav, deputy director general, IMD.

Meteorologists suggested even though there was no forecast of rain until Wednesday night, the situation changed in unforeseen ways on Thursday morning.

“There was a sudden change in the wind direction. Easterly winds brought in moisture from the Bay of Bengal, which helped to form local clouds and triggered rain. There are chances of light rain and thundershowers on Friday, too,” said Yadav.

On Thursday, the Safdarjung area received about 3mm of rain, while Palam and Lodhi Road received around 1.2mm and 1.7mm, respectively. Aya Nagar and the Ridge areas received traces of rain. There are the only places in the city where IMD records rainfall. The department warned cold-wave conditions could grip the Capital early next week.

First Published: Jan 25, 2019 00:01 IST