Delhi Records Wettest August Day In 2 Years, Several Areas Waterlogged

Knee-deep water, slow-moving traffic and rain-soaked roads marked Tuesday in Delhi as the national capital received more than 100 mm of rainfall at several weather stations, making it the wettest August day in two years.

The Safdarjung weather station recorded 99.1 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours ending 8.30 am on Tuesday, the highest for an August day in two years. The last time the city recorded more rainfall in August was on August 1, 2024, when Safdarjung received 107.6 mm.

Safdarjung recorded 99.1 mm of cumulative rainfall till 8:30 am, while Palam recorded 68.0 mm, Lodi Road 98.3 mm, Ridge 100.4 mm and Ayanagar 101.9 mm.

Waterlogging was reported across several key parts of Delhi as rainwater accumulated on roads and at major junctions. In central Delhi, waterlogging was reported on Ashoka Road, Raisina Road and Parliament Street.

Waterlogging was also reported around the Parliament complex. Stretches near RML Hospital, Baba Kharak Singh Marg and Connaught Place were also affected, adding to the difficulties for commuters navigating the busy central Delhi roads.

Water also accumulated around the Supreme Court and AIIMS, with vehicles struggling to make their way through flooded stretches. In some places, riders were seen helping pull vehicles through the accumulated water, highlighting the impact of the rain on traffic movement.

Several other busy stretches and neighbourhoods also witnessed waterlogging, including ITO, Moti Bagh, Kamla Nagar Market, the Kishangarh underpass and the Mahipalpur flyover. Waterlogging was also reported from Burari, Karol Bagh and Kirari, adding to disruptions across north, west and central parts of the city.

Traffic movement was affected on several major stretches, including ITO towards Mandi House, Vikas Marg, Laxmi Nagar, Karol Bagh, the Akshardham flyover, Patel Nagar, Sarai Kale Khan, the Delhi-Meerut Expressway, East Vinod Nagar, Mayur Vihar Phase 2 and IP Extension.

Commuters also faced slow movement around Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Setu towards Jangpura, Lajpat Nagar and Jahangirpuri, while traffic was also affected near the Pragati Maidan tunnel.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi received three complaints of trees falling between 2 pm and 6 pm on Tuesday from Patel Nagar, Sector 7 in Rohini and Krishna Nagar. Four waterlogging complaints were also received during the two reporting periods.

One was reported from Chhatarpur near Abdul Zafar Khan Marg and the Metro station, while three were reported from Kamla Nagar Market, Jain Nagar in Rohini and Rama Vihar in Sector 39, Rohini.

Rainfall was recorded across several other parts of Delhi during the 24 hours ending 8:30 am on Tuesday. Delhi University recorded 104.0 mm, the highest among the stations, followed by Janakpuri at 76.0 mm, Chhatarpur at 63.5 mm, Pusa at 62.0 mm.

Tukmipur recorded 55.0 mm, Pitampura followed at 39.5 mm, Narayana at 33.5 mm, Najafgarh at 32.0 mm, Mayur Vihar at 28.4 mm, President House at 26.8 mm, Jafarpur at 24.5 mm, Sri Aurobindo Marg and Jharoda Kalan at 20.0 mm each, Mayur Vihar AWS at 14.5 mm, Dhansa at 8.2 mm and Mungeshpur at 7.5 mm.

Between 8:30 am and 5:30 pm, Safdarjung recorded another 8.7 mm of rainfall, while Palam received 1.4 mm, Ridge 0.8 mm and Ayanagar 1.3 mm. Lodi Road recorded trace rainfall during this period.

Delhi is likely to see a brief lull in weather activity during the early hours of Wednesday, with the first half of the day expected to remain largely dry. Rain activity is likely to pick up from the late afternoon and continue into the evening, with moderate to heavy showers expected at several places and isolated spells of very heavy rain.

"Tomorrow, the first half of the day, early morning hours are expected to be dry. From the late afternoon to evening, we can expect moderate to heavy rain, and there will be isolated rain which will be very heavy," said meteorologist Navdeep Dahiya.

Rain was still being reported in parts of Delhi on Tuesday evening, but the activity was expected to ease later in the night, with weather conditions likely to turn dry as the night progressed, Dahiya said.

The maximum temperature was 33.4 degrees Celsius at Safdarjung, 0.7 degrees below normal, while Palam recorded 31.7 degrees Celsius, 2.7 degrees below normal.

Lodi Road recorded 33.4 degrees Celsius, 0.4 degrees above normal, Ridge 33.4 degrees Celsius, 1.2 degree below normal, and Ayanagar 31.3 degrees Celsius, 3.7 degrees below normal.

The minimum temperature was 23.5 degrees Celsius at Safdarjung, 2.9 degrees below normal, 21.8 degrees Celsius at Palam, 4.3 degrees below normal, 23.6 degrees Celsius at Lodi Road, 1.4 degree below normal, 20.8 degrees Celsius at Ridge, 4.7 degrees below normal, and 23.8 degrees Celsius at Ayanagar, 2.0 degrees below normal.

Delhi's air quality index stood at 101 on Tuesday, placing it in the moderate category.

According to the Central Pollution Control Board, an AQI of 0 to 50 is considered good, 51 to 100 satisfactory, 101 to 200 moderate, 201 to 300 poor, 301 to 400 very poor and 401 to 500 severe.

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