Heavy Rains Lash Delhi, Waterlogging Chokes Roads, Floods IGI Airport’s Terminal 1
Heavy pre-monsoon showers accompanied by gusty winds lashed Delhi and the National Capital Region on Tuesday evening, bringing much-needed relief from a scorching heatwave but also throwing the city into chaos with widespread waterlogging and massive traffic snarls during peak hours.
Visuals from inside Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport’s Terminal 1 showed waterlogging in the forecourt area, highlighting the intensity of the downpour. The adverse weather conditions forced the diversion of at least 12 flights between 3 pm and 4 pm, and Delhi Airport issued an advisory asking passengers to contact their respective airlines for the latest flight information.
The sudden, intense spell of rain led to knee-deep waterlogging in several key areas and underpasses, bringing traffic to a crawl across the city. Major traffic jams were reported from the underpass near Delhi Cantonment, Zakhira Underpass, Pul Prahladpur, ITO, and stretches of National Highway 48 from Dhaula Kuan towards the airport and Gurugram.
While the rain caused significant disruption, it also brought a welcome drop in temperatures. The maximum temperature in the capital settled at 36.2 degrees Celsius, which is 3.8 notches below the season’s average. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported that its Safdarjung weather station recorded 10 mm of rainfall, while the station at Pusa recorded a substantial 41 mm.
The IMD had earlier issued a ‘red alert’ for the city, and has now placed Delhi under a ‘yellow alert’ for Wednesday, predicting more thunderstorms with lightning and gusty winds.
Commuters took to social media to post pictures and videos of flooded roads and long lines of traffic, questioning the city’s monsoon preparedness after just one spell of heavy rain.
