NEW DELHI: A squall and dust storm accompanied with light rains in parts of the national capital in the evening brought the mercury down significantly by 16.6 degrees Celsius but threw traffic out of gear in several areas, with 24 flights being diverted.

A squall with a wind speed of 81 km per hour hit the city plunging it into darkness followed by light rains which offered respite from the heat.

"The squall, with a wind speed of 81 km per hour, hit the Safdarjung observatory. It started at 5.33 PM and lasted till 5.35 PM after which the mercury fell to 33 degrees Celsius at 5.30 PM," a Meteorological (MeT) department official said.

In Lutyens' Delhi, the sprawling Raisina Hill complex, seat of the government and the bungalow zone, were shrouded by dust kicked up by gusty winds which was followed by light drizzle.

The storm dipped the visibility, leading to vehicles plying on the streets coming to a standstill momentarily, while pedestrians rushed to seek shelter.

The maximum temperature was recorded at 36.6 degrees Celsius, two notches above the season's average. However, after the rains temperature plummeted to 21 degrees Celsius, the official said.

There has been 24 diversions of flights due to the bad weather, a Delhi International Airport Ltd spokesperson said.

Delhi received 4.4 mm rains and the humidity oscillated between 68 and 32 per cent.

The MeT office has forecast overcast skies along with the possibility of light rains, thunderstorm and dust storm tomorrow.

"The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to hover at 35 and 23 degrees respectively," the weatherman said.

Yesterday, the minimum temperature settled at 23.2 degrees Celsius while the maximum temperature recorded was 37.6 degrees Celsius.