India, Jan. 23 -- Delhi and nearby cities of Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad, Noida as well as Haryana's Gurugram received first their major rain spell of the season on Friday, showers - accompanied by strong lightning in certain parts - that started in the early hours and didn't stop till 11 am over several parts.

The rain was brought by this year's western disturbance, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

All districts of Delhi were placed under an orange alert amid the rain, according to the nowcast seen on IMD website at around 11:15 am.

Rain accompanied by thunderstorm and gusty winds also brought brief relief from high pollution levels in the city, keeping the momentum of the falling air quality index (AQI) which res...