Delhi-NCR experienced heavy rainfall on Wednesday evening, bringing welcome relief from the extreme heat. The downpour reduced the maximum temperature to 37.8°C, down from Tuesday’s high of 39.3°C.
The sudden rainfall caused waterlogging in several areas, disrupting traffic and complicating pedestrian movement. Reports indicate waterlogging in RK Puram, Janpath, Parliament Street, Karol Bagh, Nauroji Nagar, Pant Marg, and Mayur Vihar among other locations. In Noida, waterlogging was noted in Gaur City, Film City, and several underpasses along the Delhi-Noida Expressway. Gurugram also experienced water accumulation on major roads including Subhash Nagar and Old Railway Road.
Due to the intense rain, at least 10 flights heading to Delhi have been diverted. “Delhi witnessed 10 diversions between 1930 hours-2000 hours, due to bad weather,” Delhi Airport sources informed news agency ANI.
Earlier, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert for moderate to heavy rain, thunderstorms, and lightning, impacting various areas of Delhi and NCR. The IMD forecasts this weather pattern to continue until August 5.
“In continuation with the previous weather alert: 31/07/2024: 18:00 IST; Heavy rainfall accompanied by moderate to heavy thunderstorms and lightning (30-50 Km/h gusty winds) is very likely to occur throughout Delhi and NCR during the next 2 hours,” the Regional Weather Forecast Centre (RWFC) tweeted.
The IMD also reported, “Clouds have converged over Delhi from all four sectors. Widespread light to moderate rainfall with isolated intense to very intense spells (3-5 cm/hr) is likely over Delhi during the next 2 hours,” in a tweet at 7:16 p.m.