- Rains brought relief but caused vehicle damage and traffic issues in Delhi on Tuesday
- IMD issued a red alert for rain and strong winds across the national capital
- A tree fell on parked cars in East of Kailash, damaging a Mercedes and another car
Rains battered Delhi on Tuesday afternoon, bringing much-needed relief to citizens after a dayslong spell of intense heat, but causing damage to vehicles and causing traffic snarls in the national capital.
The India Meteorological Department issued a "red" alert for rain and strong winds across the city.
The heavy rainfall caused significant damage to property as trees collapsed in the national capital.
Photo Credit: PTI
As rain and strong winds continued to batter the city, a tree fell onto parked cars in South East Delhi's East of Kailash area. No injuries have been reported so far due to the tree fall.
However, a Mercedes car has been damaged due to the impact. Visuals showed the tree's branches falling on the roof and hood of the Mercedes, causing damage.
The owner of the Mercedes, who spoke to NDTV, highlighted that since monsoons have entered Delhi now, incidents like this are bound to happen if proper care is not taken to ensure minimal damage. He urged authorities to cut vulnerable tree branches and take appropriate measures to reduce the risk of rain-related accidents.
The driver of the car confirmed to NDTV that the Mercedes was stationary when the tree suddenly collapsed on Raja Dhir Singh Marg at around 1:30 pm. It also damaged another passing car that came under its branches, the Delhi Fire Service (DFS) said.
The DFS said it received a call about the incident at 1.38 pm and immediately dispatched a fire tender to the spot.
The Public Works Department (PWD) personnel also reached the site and began cutting and removing the fallen tree to clear the carriageway and restore normal traffic movement. The tree fall disrupted traffic on the Raja Dhir Singh Marg temporarily before clearance operations were launched.
Officials said that the strong winds may have led to the tree collapse.
This comes days after heavy rains triggered an old peepal tree to collapse and fall onto a school bus, leading to the death of an 11-year-old boy in Mumbai's Chembur and the injury of several others.
Weather Office Issues 'Red Alert'
The IMD has issued a 'red alert' for Delhi, predicting more spells of rain and strong winds in the national capital.
The weather office had earlier issued an 'orange' alert, warning of moderate rain at most places along with thunderstorms, lightning and wind speeds reaching up to 50-60 kmph, but later upgraded it to 'red' for the entire city.
Photo Credit: PTI
It has forecast moderate rain at many places and heavy rain at isolated places, accompanied by moderate thunderstorms and lightning, with wind speeds reaching up to 70 kmph.
IMD data showed that Najafgarh received the highest amount of rainfall between 8:30 am and 2:30 pm at 76 mm, followed by Gurugram at 26 mm, Narayana at 17 mm, and Ghaziabad at 16 mm. Janakpuri received 15 mm of rainfall, Mayur Vihar got 11 mm, while Pragati Maidan and Jharoda Kalan saw 10 mm of rainfall each. Pusa received 37 mm of rains, making it one of the most affected parts of the city.
The maximum temperature is likely to settle around 36 degrees Celsius. Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 30 degrees Celsius -- the highest since July 2, 2024.
