India, March 19 -- A short but intense spell of rain along with gusty winds of up to 68km/hour swept through Delhi on Wednesday evening, bringing about a sharp drop in temperatures and briefly disrupting flight operations at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport.

At least 22 flights were diverted till 9pm due to adverse weather, said airport officials, adding that strong wind shear made landings difficult. Flight tracking website Flightradar24 showed over 300 delays at the airport till 7.30pm.

The sudden change in weather was triggered by an active western disturbance impacting northwest India. While no rainfall was recorded till 6.30pm, conditions shifted rapidly thereafter, with winds reaching 68km/hour at Pragati Maidan and 6...