Heavy rain, thunderstorm lash Delhi; uproot trees, lead to traffic snarls
New Delhi, May 30: 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.
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.
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.
A tree uprooted by strong winds and heavy rain in Delhi this evening PC: PTI
Several cars damaged near KG marg in Connaught Place, Delhi as metal
— Hemant Rajaura (@hemantrajora_) May 30, 2022
objects fall on cars amid heavy wind. #DelhiRains pic.twitter.com/CFOpoMRGj3
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
