Extremely Severe Alert on phones: Loud alarm warns of bad weather in Delhi NCR — ‘such alert for basic thunderstorm’

At exactly 5:18 pm, a loud emergency alert tone suddenly sounded on my phone. The message on the screen carried a stark warning: "Extremely Severe Alert."

The text below read: “Severe Thunderstorm (wind speed 60-80 KMph, Gusting to 90 Kmph) with Lightning and Moderate to Intense Spell of Rain and Hail is very likely to occur at a few places over Aligarh, Baghpat, Bulandshahr, Gautambuddha Nagar, Ghaziabad, Hapur, Mathura, Meerut in next 3 hours.”

Not just me, but millions of residents across Delhi-NCR reportedly received an emergency alert on their mobile phones warning of severe thunderstorm and rainfall on Saturday evening.

An "Extremely Severe Alert" is a government-initiated notification designed to warn citizens of imminent, life-threatening disasters such as cyclones and heavy rainfall. It is a “Cell Broadcast, powered by indigenous technology, to enable instant disaster alerts for citizens.”

Saturday likely marked one of the first times the alert system was deployed. While many netizens praised it as a "commendable" initiative, several questioned the decision to issue an "Extremely Severe Alert" for what they considered relatively moderate weather conditions.

A social media user posted on X, saying, "It is a commendable step that the Meteorological Department is continuously sending Broadcast-based “Extremely Severe Alert” on mobiles. This technology instantly delivers warnings to villages, fields, and those working in the open without internet."

"However, labeling even a regular storm of 60-80 km/h as “extremely severe” every time could create a . Repeated siren sounds may lead people to take real disaster alerts lightly," the post added.

Another user complained, "...might not die due to storm or lightning but can definitely die due to this stupid alert…🚨My phone was so close to my ear and heart when this rang😭😭 What’s the need of such alert for just basic thunderstorm.. Govt of India???? 💀💁🏻"

IMD forecast for Delhi NCR and other parts of India today

Delhi NCR experienced pleasant weather on Saturday in a major respite from scorching heatwaves. Around 5 pm, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the prevailing heat wave has abated from most parts of Central India, and it is likely to abate from the remaining parts from tomorrow.

The weather department also predicted, "Dust storm/followed by Thunderstorm with light to moderate rainfall and lightning squally winds up to 100 kmph is very likely to occur in the entire Delhi & NCR during next 2 hours."

It added, "Updated nowcasts for severe thunderstorms/dust storms with squally winds speed reaching up to 100 kmph in gusts, hail and moderate rainfall over the districts of Rajasthan, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand shown by red/orange colour colour likely during next 2 hours."

Around 4 pm on Saturday, the IMD issued a district-wise nowcast warning, valid for the next 2 to 3 hours. It had issued a:

Red warning, predicting "lightning/Thunderstorms with gusty winds (around 60 kmph) and Hail very likely over the following districts in Uttar Pradesh: Baghpat, Bahraich, Ghaziabad, Lakhimpur-Kheri, Meerut, Muzafarnagar, Pilibhit, Saharanpur, Shahjahanpur, Shamli, Shrawasti, Sitapur."

Orange warnings, predicting "thunderstorms & lightning with gusty winds ( 40-60 kmph) and moderate rain (5-15 mm/h) very likely over in these states:

Kerala: Lakshadweep, Thiruvananthapuram

Andhra Pradesh: Anantapuramu, Nandyal, Prakasam, Ysr Kadapa

Odisha: Baleshwar, Bhadrak, Jagatsinghpur , Jajapur, Kendraparha, Kendujhar, Mayurbhanj

West Bengal: Howrah, Jhargram, Paschim Medinipur, Purba Medinipur, South 24 Parganas

Madhya Pradesh: Betul, Chhindwara

Jharkhand: Gumla, Latehar, Purbi Singbhumi

Uttar Pradesh: Aligarh, Amroha, Badaun, Balrampur-Up, Bareilly, Bijnor, Bulandsahar, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Gonda, Hapur, Hardoi, Moradabad, Rampur, Sambhal

Rajasthan: Bikaner, Churu, Hanumangarh, Sri Ganganagar

Haryana: Ambala, Fatehabad, Hisar, Jind, Kaithal, Karnal, Kurukshetra, Panchkula, Panipat, Sirsa, Yamunanagar

Uttrakhand: Almora, Bageshwar, Dehradun, Haridwar, Nainital, Pauri Garhwal, Tehri Garhwal, Uttarkashi

Punjab: Barnala, Bathinda, Chandigarh, Fatehgarh Sahib, Ludhiana, Mansa, Moga, Nawashahr, Patiala, Rupnagar, Sangrur, Sas Nagar