IMD Issues Red Alert as Severe Thunderstorms Hit Noida and Greater Noida
Severe thunderstorms, heavy rainfall, and squally winds swept across Noida and Greater Noida on Thursday afternoon, June 4, 2026, as the India Meteorological Department issued a weather red alert for the National Capital Region. The sudden change in weather brought immediate respite from the scorching heat but triggered warnings of potential damage from hail and intense winds.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) warned of moderate to heavy rainfall, lightning, and strong squally winds reaching speeds of 80 to 100 kmph over large parts of the region. The severe weather warning extended to Noida, Greater Noida, Chhapraula, Loni Dehat, Hindon Air Force Station, Ghaziabad, and Indirapuram.
According to the IMD's weather bulletin, the severe storms were triggered by multiple weather systems affecting northwest India. These included a Western Disturbance over north Pakistan, an induced cyclonic circulation over central Pakistan, and upper-air cyclonic circulations over north Haryana and central Uttar Pradesh. Officials stated these systems combined to create highly favourable conditions for widespread thunderstorms.
In district-level alerts issued at 2:45 PM and valid until 5:45 PM, the IMD placed all districts under the red category. The department forecast light to moderate rainfall accompanied by moderate to severe thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds of 50 to 60 kmph, gusting up to 70 kmph. The weather office also warned of the possibility of hail at isolated places.
Wind speeds strengthened significantly across the capital region during the afternoon. Pitampura recorded a maximum wind speed of 56 kmph, while Pragati Maidan recorded 52 kmph, Pusa reached 50 kmph, Palam recorded 48 kmph, and Mehrauli recorded 46 kmph. Safdarjung, the base weather station, recorded wind speeds of 36 kmph.
By 2:30 PM, several monitoring stations had recorded notable rainfall. Ayanagar received the highest rainfall at 14.2 mm, followed by Palam with 5.8 mm, Mayur Vihar with 2.5 mm, and Najafgarh with 1.5 mm. An earlier warning was upgraded as the storm system intensified and spread across the NCR.
