Residents of Delhi and its adjoining areas woke up to a cooler morning on Tuesday after a duststorm followed by a squall lashed the region on Monday night, bringing down temperature.

The weather office had warned that thunderstorms, squall and gusty winds were likely to hit many parts of India, including Delhi.

In view of the warning, many schools in Delhi, Gurgaon, Ghaziabad and other area places in the National Capital Region decided to remain closed on Tuesday. Action on the Haryana government’s orders, schools remained closed on Monday too, as a preventive measure following the thunderstorm warning.

The Delhi government said all evening schools (second shift which starts from the afternoon) would be shut on Tuesday after Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash chaired a high-level meeting to review the preparedness in the wake of the warning.

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“All evening schools will remain closed tomorrow following the weather warning,” a senior government official told PTI on Monday.

The government has also asked other schools to not hold outdoor activities and extracurricular activities between 3 pm and 7 pm during which winds speed is expected to remain high.

On Monday night, a dust storm, with a wind speed of 70 kilometres per hour, followed by a squall hit the national capital, bringing down the temperature.

The high-velocity wind swept through Delhi around 11.15 pm.

#Thunderstorm hits Delhi. pic.twitter.com/bp3jHnTxP3

— The Statesman (@TheStatesmanLtd) May 7, 2018

Earlier, the meteorological department had issued a warning at 8.53 pm, saying a spell of rain/thunderstorm accompanied with squall was likely to occur over Delhi and NCR during the next three-four hours. It forecast rains and gusty winds for Tuesday too.

The maximum temperature recorded in Delhi on Monday was 39.6 degrees Celsius, a notch above the season’s average.

The traffic police alerted their field formations to be ready to remove obstacles such as fallen trees and asked commuters to check weather conditions before travelling.

READ | Delhi schools to remain shut till Tuesday due to storm threat

The Delhi Metro, too, said it would exercise extreme caution in running of trains.

“If wind speed is reported in the range of 70-90 kmph then train movement will remain normal but trains will enter with a restricted speed of 40 kmph or less at the platforms on elevated section. If wind speed is reported more than 90 kmph then trains will be put on hold at platforms and no train will enter platform with a speed of more than 15 kmph,” said a senior official in the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation.

Normal movement of trains would be restored once the wind speed was reported less then 85kmph for continuous five minutes, he said, adding appropriate announcements would be made at stations during this period.

Earlier on Monday, the revenue department issued directions to all district officers and said water and power utilities would also keep restoration teams on standby.

The Delhi Traffic Police has meanwhile advised commuters to plan their journey after checking the weather conditions.

The Delhi Traffic Police advisory said it had alerted the field formations to be ready to get obstacles such as fallen trees removed.

The advisory has asked commuters to avoid travelling during the storm. Those who are stopping on the road or parking their vehicle have been advised to keep away from overhead electrical wires, tinned roofs, trees, etc., it said.

Commuters have been advised to take shelter under concrete structures, and drivers to use dippers or parking lights while driving. The advisory said commuters should “keep themselves updated about weather conditions and plan their journey accordingly”.

READ | Delhi govt puts search, rescue teams on standby

At least 124 people were killed and more than 300 others injured in five states due to dust storms, squall, thunderstorms and lightning last week.

The Delhi government also issued a list of “dos and don’ts” to deal with any such possible situation.

Officials of the fire, revenue, traffic police, home, public works departments and others were present in the meeting chaired by the chief secretary.

In the list of “dos and don’ts”, the government has advised people to try to stay indoors and staff off verandas and keep a watch on local weather updates and warnings.

The government also asked people to ensure that children and animals are inside and unplug unnecessary electrical appliances.

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The advisory also asked people to avoid taking a bath or shower or running water for any purpose.

“This is because lightning can travel along pipes. Keep away from doors, windows, fire places, stoves, bath-tubs, or any other electrical charge conductors,” the advisory stated.

The IMD issued an amber-coloured alert, indicating severe weather, for parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, Chandigarh, western Uttar Pradesh, Sikkim and West Bengal.

According to the India Meteorological Department, thunderstorms and gusty winds are likely to occur at isolated places over Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and western Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday too.

The other states likely to be affected by thunderstorms and gusty winds are Bihar, West Bengal, Sikkim, Odisha, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Karnataka and Kerala.

At least 124 people were killed and more than 300 others injured in five states in dust storms, thunderstorms and lightning incidents last week.

(With PTI)