India, May 3 -- If one were to follow the India Meteorological Department's (IMD) forecasts from Wednesday onward, Delhi seemed in for a relatively mild spell of rain: a moderate thunderstorm on Thursday evening, followed by light rain or drizzle and winds up to 50 km/hr on Friday.

But what unfolded on Friday morning was anything but mild.

An intense thunderstorm swept across the Capital at dawn, catching the city off guard. Gusts reaching up to 80 km/hr lashed the city, accompanied by heavy rain. By the time IMD upgraded its forecast to a red alert on its website by 5am-warning of a "severe" thunderstorm and heavy rain-the storm was already in full force in parts of the city. Finally at 5.30am, IMD issued a press briefing, announcing t...