Heavy rain lashes Delhi, waterlogging in many parts of city

Delhi woke up to a rain-soaked morning on Thursday as a spell of heavy showers lashed the city, causing widespread waterlogging and traffic snarls across several areas.

The downpour, which began in the early hours, continued through the morning, prompting the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to issue a red alert for most parts of the Delhi-NCR region. The warning, in effect until 12:30 PM, covers districts in the North, West, South, South East, and Central parts of the capital, with forecasts of heavy rainfall accompanied by lightning and thunderstorms.

Waterlogging was reported from Chhatarpur, Saket, Sangam Vihar, Panchkuian Marg, Mathura Road, Shastri Bhawan, RK Puram, Moti Bagh, and Kidwai Nagar, among other locations, disrupting vehicular movement during the morning rush hour.

“Due to the recent rains causing waterlogging at GTK Depot, Jahangirpuri, and Adarsh Nagar, traffic on Old GT Road is likely to be severely affected. To avoid congestion, commuters are advised to avoid taking Old GT Road and are requested to plan accordingly or take alternate routes,” Delhi Traffic Police said in a post on X.

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According to IMD’s district-wise nowcast warnings, intense rain is expected to persist for the next few hours.

During the 24-hour period which ended at 8.30 am on Thursday, Delhi’s primary weather station at Safdarjung recorded 13.1 mm of rainfall, Aya Nagar logged 57.4 mm, Palam 49.4 mm, Lodhi Road 12 mm, Pragati Maidan 9 mm, and Pusa 5 mm, according to the IMD.

Data released on August 11 shows Delhi has already received over 706 mm of rainfall so far this year — about 91% of its normal annual average of 774.4 mm.

The rain brought down the minimum temperature in Delhi to 23.6 degrees Celsius, 3.2 notches below normal. The maximum temperature is expected to settle around 32 degrees Celsius, the IMD said.