Delhi has been facing heavy rainfall for the past few weeks, resulting in severe waterlogging in various parts of the city. Central and South Delhi were particularly affected, experiencing significant traffic congestion due to the intense downpours. The bulk of the rain occurred late Wednesday night, peaking between 2:30 am and 8:30 am on Thursday morning.
Rainfall varied from heavy to light drizzle, continuing in many areas until around 9:30 am. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an Orange alert for Thursday, anticipating moderate rain throughout the day. Significant traffic jams were reported, especially on Anuvrat Marg near the Qutub Minar metro station, the MB Road stretch between Khanpur and Saket Metro, Outer Ring Road, Ring Road towards Sarai Kale Khan, and within the Delhi Cantonment area.
The Safdarjung base station recorded 77.1 mm of rain overnight, classifying it as heavy, with 63 mm falling between 2:30 am and 5:30 am. In comparison, Palam received 54.5 mm of rain while Lodhi Road recorded 92.2 mm. Other notable measurements included 18.2 mm in the Ridge area, 62.4 mm in Ayanagar, 17 mm at Delhi University’s north campus, 2 mm in Narela, 26.5 mm in Pitampura, and 30.5 mm in Mayur Vihar. Weather analysts predict rain on Thursday with a brief respite for the next few days, followed by a resurgence of intense rainfall expected around September 1 or 2.
This rainfall is attributed to a deep depression situated over the Saurashtra and Kutch region in Gujarat. As explained by Mahesh Palawat, vice-chairman of meteorology and climate change at Skymet, a trough extending from this depression in West Gujarat to Haryana is affecting regions including east Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi, and western Uttar Pradesh. Thursday is likely to see the maximum impact, with continued rain throughout the day in several areas. While rain intensity is expected to decrease over the following two to three days, it may intensify again around September 1 or 2 as the trough shifts westward.