Delhi Rains: 26 Flights Cancelled As Heavy Rainfall, Thunderstorms Hit National Capital

Heavy rain and thunderstorms in the national capital disrupted flight operations at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport on Monday, with 26 flights cancelled and another 15 diverted, sources told The Indian Express. The weather also brought heavy showers to several parts of Delhi, providing relief from the high humidity recorded a day earlier while causing waterlogging in multiple areas.

A senior Delhi airport official told Indian Express that the 15 Delhi-bound flights were redirected to airports in Jaipur (12), Chandigarh (2) and Lucknow (1).

Heavy showers swept across several parts of the national capital on Monday, bringing respite from the sweltering humidity a day ago and waterlogging several areas, PTI reported.

The weather office has issued red and orange alerts, forecasting heavy to moderate rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms and winds with speeds up to 40 kilometres per hour in the next few hours. Commuters also took to social media to report traffic snarls and waterlogged stretches. The maximum temperature is expected to settle at 34 degrees Celsius, according to IMD.

Heavy Rain Causes Waterlogging Across Delhi

Between 8.30 am and 11.30 am, Chhatarpur recorded the highest rainfall in Delhi at 28 mm, followed by Lodi Road at 24.6 mm and Pitampura at 18.5 mm, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The Ridge recorded 5 mm of rainfall, Mayur Vihar 1.5 mm, Safdarjung 1 mm and Ayanagar 0.1 mm during the period.

The showers were accompanied by strong winds in several areas, with waterlogging reported around New Ashok Nagar Metro Station, Burari, C R Park and Alaknanda. Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 27.8 degrees Celsius at the city's prime weather station at Safdarjung on Monday, 1.4 degrees above normal. The Ridge recorded the lowest minimum temperature at 24 degrees Celsius.

Rain May Disrupt Normal Life

The weather office issued a red alert for heavy rain and a yellow alert for moderate rain across several districts, with thunderstorms, lightning and winds of 30-40 kmph also expected in parts of the city.

Heavy rain and thunderstorms were witnessed at isolated places in South East Delhi, East Delhi, Shahdara, Central Delhi, North East Delhi, South Delhi, New Delhi, South West Delhi, West Delhi, North West Delhi and North Delhi.

The national capital on Sunday recorded a maximum temperature of 33.9 degrees Celsius, 0.3 notches below the seasonal average, according to IMD.

IMD scientist Akhil Srivastava, while speaking to ANI on the weather forecast, said, "'Orange' alert for light to moderate rain to isolated heavy rainfall activity has been issued for Delhi today. Heavy to very heavy rain alert has been issued in Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh in the next 24 hours, in view of a low-pressure formation in Gangetic West Bengal and Jharkhand."

The city received 1 mm of rainfall between 8.30 pm on Saturday to 8.30 am on Sunday.

Across the country, the IMD has warned that sea condition is very likely to be rough to very rough over  Northwest and adjoining westcentral Bay of Bengal and along and off West Bengal , and  adjoining Odisha and North Andhra Pradesh coasts till Monday.