Delhi Rain: IMD Issues Red Alert As Heavy Showers Disrupt Flights And Trigger Waterlogging Across NCR

The India Meteorological Department issued a state-wide red alert for heavy rain across Delhi-NCR on Tuesday morning. Intense showers lashed several parts of the national capital, including Parliament Street, Connaught Place, AIIMS, ITO, RK Puram and Ferozeshah Road, causing severe waterlogging. An inundated flyover loop near AIIMS significantly slowed down traffic movement.

The weather heavily impacted aviation. Flightradar24 showed, as reported by Economic Times, that 15 flights were cancelled and 99 delayed at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport on Tuesday morning. Airport authorities have not yet issued an official statement regarding the disruptions.

This latest downpour follows moderate rain on Monday. On Monday, Safdarjung recorded a maximum temperature of 32.3°C and a minimum of 27.8°C, with 34.6 mm of rain between 8.30am and 5.30pm. The ongoing showers continue to stall normal life and commuter movement across the region.

Widespread Disruptions and Closures

Monday's rain caused widespread chaos. The downpour resulted in massive traffic jams on the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway and triggered major flight disruptions. Airlines cancelled 26 flights, diverted 15 to other cities and delayed over 390 services on Monday.

The Gurgaon administration took immediate preventive measures. Civic officials advised corporate offices to allow employees to work from home on Tuesday.

They also ordered all government and private educational institutions to conduct classes online. This move aims to prevent severe traffic congestion and protect students from waterlogging, officials stated.

Regional Forecast and Alerts

The IMD predicts a maximum temperature of 34°C to 36°C and a minimum of 25°C to 27°C on Tuesday. The weather agency expects light to moderate rain across Delhi, with isolated heavy to extremely heavy showers. In a tweet, the IMD stated, “Heavy rainfall likley over Delhi during next 2-3 hours.” Thunderstorms and lightning are very likely to occur at most places over Central, East, New Delhi, North East, North West, Shahdara, South, South East, South West and West districts.

Different suburbs face varying threats. The IMD placed Gurgaon and Faridabad under a yellow alert for further rain. Noida remains heavily clouded but currently has no specific weather warning.

Meteorologist Navdeep Dahiya told PTI, that nearly 70 per cent of the national capital could receive moderate rainfall on Tuesday. Dahiya said, "The weather activity might not be as strong as it was on Monday."

Rainfall Data and Outlook

Delhi recorded massive rainfall excesses. Cumulative data up to August 24 showed Safdarjung at 246.2 mm, marking a 29 per cent excess. Palam recorded 227.2 mm (28 per cent excess) and Lodi Road reached 233.2 mm (22 per cent excess).

The Ridge and Ayanagar observatories recorded 243 mm and 266.3 mm, reflecting excesses of 50 per cent and 66 per cent respectively. The IMD attributed these intense showers to a middle- and upper-level western disturbance interacting with a lower-tropospheric trough extending from Gangetic West Bengal to southwest Uttar Pradesh.

The wet spell will soon end. Forecasts indicate no rain from August 26 to August 30, bringing partly cloudy skies. Maximum temperatures will rise to between 35°C and 37°C during this period.