India capital Delhi enjoys unusual hail storm Published duration 8 February 2019

image copyright PTI image caption Many people compared the unusual sight to scenes from Chicago or London

India's capital Delhi was hit by a strong hailstorm on Thursday, turning the city white and leaving people stunned and delighted.

Pictures and videos posted on social media show cherry-sized ice balls and streets covered in white.

Many people compared the unusual sight to scenes from Chicago or London.

Hailstorms "are not rare for Delhi, but their occurrence is infrequent," according to US website Accuweather's senior meteorologist Jason Nicholls.

The severe weather also forced more than 30 flights to be diverted during the early hours of the evening.

However, the hail and rain storm did have an upside. Apart from delighting Delhi's residents, it also helped improve the city's notoriously toxic air quality.

image copyright Zubair Ahmad Ansari image caption Pictures and videos posted on social media show cherry-sized ice balls and streets covered in white

Parts of northern India have experienced heavy snowfall over the past days.