Townhall Times, New Delhi
Reporter: Bhavika Kalra
New Delhi | February 15, 2026
It’s one thing to have a rainy day; it’s another to have a system that hits 11 states simultaneously. The Met Department (IMD) is warning of everything from lightning strikes to “lodging” in the fields. While urbanites are worried about their Zomato orders being delayed, farmers are looking at the sky with a lot of anxiety.
1. The Chaos on the Roads (and Tracks)
If you’re in a city like Delhi or Lucknow, you know the drill: ten minutes of rain and the underpasses start looking like swimming pools.
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Commuter Woes: Traffic is moving at a snail’s pace, and surge pricing on Uber/Ola is already hitting the roof.
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Travel Delays: Flights at IGI are seeing “gate holds” because of the winds, and the Northern Railway is already warning people that signals might act up. If you have a trip planned to the hills (Himachal or Uttarakhand), maybe check the news for landslides before you head out—those roads are getting slippery.
2. The Agricultural Gamble
This is where it gets serious. For a wheat farmer in Haryana, this rain is a nightmare.
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Lodging: When heavy rain and wind hit tall wheat stalks, they just collapse. It’s called “lodging,” and it makes harvesting a total mess.
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Orchard Trouble: Up north, the fruit farmers are terrified of hail. One bad hailstorm can bruise an entire season’s worth of apples or mangoes, turning a “premium” crop into “juice grade” overnight.
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Lightning: It’s a silent killer in rural India. The IMD is specifically telling farmers not to stay out in the open fields when the sky starts cracking.
3. Power Cuts and “Digital” Life
In 2026, we’re more dependent on the grid than ever. Strong winds have been knocking down tree branches onto power lines in several neighborhoods, leading to those annoying intermittent blackouts. For the “Work from Home” crowd, a 2-hour power cut isn’t just a minor inconvenience anymore—it’s a lost workday.
4. The Health Angle
It’s that weird transition weather where it’s humid and wet.
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The “Dengue” Factor: Stagnant water from these sudden bursts is a playground for mosquitoes.
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Sanitation: In crowded urban pockets, overflowing drains are a genuine health hazard. Doctors are already seeing a spike in the usual “weather-change” viral fevers.
5. Is This the “New Normal”?
Meteorologists aren’t just calling this “bad luck.” There’s a clear link here to how erratic our climate has become. We go from record-breaking heatwaves to unseasonal storms in a matter of weeks. The “typical” seasons we grew up with are basically gone, replaced by these intense, short bursts of weather that our old drainage systems just can’t handle.
The Verdict: The next 48 to 72 hours are going to be a bit of a test. State disaster teams are on standby, and most schools are keeping a “watch and wait” policy for tomorrow morning.
The Bottom Line: Keep your phone charged, check the flight/train status before you leave the house, and if you see a flooded road—don’t try to be a hero in your hatchback. It’s just not worth it.
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