Strong winds and light rain hit Delhi and the larger National Capital Region Friday evening. The sudden change in weather was accompanied by cloudy skies and dust storm-like conditions. As a result, temperatures in the region also came down slightly, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
The dust storm hit Delhi-NCR around 4 pm. The wind speed was 50 kilometres per hour. A hailstorm is also likely, said Kuldeep Srivastava, head of the IMD's regional forecasting centre. Very light rain has also been recorded in some areas, he said.
The strong winds also led to power outages in parts of neighbouring Noida.
Meanwhile, several passenger aircraft enroute to the Delhi airport were asked to hold position. It is expected that some flights may be diverted due to inclement weather.
On Thursday, the capital had recorded a maximum temperature of 40.5 degrees Celsius, the highest so far this season. The minimum temperature had settled at 21.5 degrees Celsius, a notch above normal.
The mercury is predicted to remain below 40 degrees Celsius for the next five to six days, the IMD said.
(With inputs from Nagarjuna Dwaraknath)