Severe thunderstorms around Delhi cause seven deaths, with western Europe also hit by stormy conditions

Residents of Delhi and surrounding areas woke last week to severe thunderstorms with intense rainfall, large hailstones and squally winds. The storms arrived in the early hours of the night, lasting six hours before easing by about 8.30am on Friday morning. At Safdarjung, the primary weather station in Delhi, 77mm of rain was recorded, the majority of which, 60mm, fell within the first three hours. The event itself was the second highest 24-hour rainfall total in Delhi during May since 1901. The deluge of rain led to flash flooding, felled trees, widespread disruption and claimed seven lives.

Further sharp showers are forecast across India this week, alongside thunderstorms across western and central parts where relatively cooler air will become situated aloft through the course of Monday and promote convection. Some forecast models show the potential for thunderstorms to produce very heavy rainfall, particularly in Gujarat and south-west Rajasthan, until Thursday. However, due to the nature of thunderstorm formation, the exact intensity can be difficult to forecast days ahead, and often still proves too tricky to predict on the day. So the conditions in Delhi on Friday morning may not have been a one-off.