New Delhi, May 30 (PTI) A ravaging thunderstorm packing winds of 100 kmph pummeled the national capital on Monday evening, uprooting trees, damaging property and bringing traffic to a screeching halt.

This is the first storm of "severe" intensity in Delhi since 2018, a Met department official said. A moderate thunderstorm had hit the city last Monday.

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The thunderstorm led to a drastic fall in the temperature at the Safdarjung Observatory -- from 40 degrees Celsius at 4:20 pm to 25 degrees Celsius at 5:40 pm.

Safdarjung, Lodhi Road and Ridge logged 17.8 mm, 20 mm and 15 mm of rainfall.

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East and central parts of Delhi bore the maximum brunt of the storm that peppered the roads with broken tree branches.

People at several locations across the city shared reports about the strong winds snapping power and internet cables, throwing parts of the capital into chaos.

Loud thunder, lightning strikes and a short, intense spell of rain accompanied the gusty winds.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) attributed it to a Western Disturbance-induced cyclonic circulation over northwest Rajasthan and adjoining Pakistan.

The moisture-carrying easterly winds from the Bay of Bengal are feeding the cyclonic circulation, it said.

High temperature and high humidity create thunderclouds which are capable of producing short, intense spells of rain and thunderstorms, an official said.

The Indira Gandhi International Airport reported winds gusting up to 100 kmph. The Palam weather station logged a maximum wind speed of 70 kmph.

Thunderstorms are a normal occurrence in Delhi. On an average, the city sees such weather on 12 to 14 days in the March to May period, senior IMD scientist R K Jenamani said.

A trough extending from northwest Rajasthan to Assam will persist for a few days. Some parts of Delhi are likely to see more intermittent thunder activity over the next few days, said Mahesh Palawat, vice president (climate change and meteorology), Skymet Weather.

Meanwhile, heatwave is unlikely in Delhi for a week, he said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)