- Delhi experiences heavy overnight rain causing uprooted trees and flooded roads
- An orange alert was issued for NCR areas like Ghaziabad, Noida, Meerut, and Gurugram for more rain
- Mayur Vihar recorded the highest rainfall in Delhi at 103 mm, while Ghaziabad saw 164 mm in Kamala Mehru Nagar
Delhi woke Thursday to grey skies, uprooted trees, and flooded roads as rain fell overnight and this morning, underscoring the weather department's three-hour 'red alert' warning for the day.
An orange alert was also issued for areas in the wider National Capital Region (NCR), including Ghaziabad, Noida, Meerut, and Gurugram, where more heavy rainfall is likely during the day.
The Safdarjung weather station recorded 72.6 mm of rainfall over a 24-hour period till 8.30 am, the India Meteorological Department said. The Lodhi Road station recorded 80.2 mm, the Ridge 77.8 mm, and Palam 63 mm over the same period.
The highest readings in Delhi were in Mayur Vihar (103 mm) and Delhi University (90 mm), while Kamala Mehru Nagar in Ghaziabad recorded 164 mm and Hindon 134 mm. Tanda in Gautam Buddha Nagar, Noida, received 62 mm, while Gurugram's NorthCap University and Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) stations recorded 27 mm and 36 mm, respectively.
The minimum temperature was 24.3 degrees Celsius, 3.6 degrees below normal.
Hours of incessant rain led to chaotic commutes for office-goers and disrupted daily schedules across the city, including in upscale neighbourhoods. Two trees were uprooted in East of Kailash and another fell outside the National Heart Institute.
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Karan Agarwal, a resident, told news agency ANI: "The incident occurred on Raja Dhir Singh Marg. The tree fell sometime between 2.30 and 3 am... trees are falling due to various issues, such as concrete paving and encroachment. At least two or three other trees have fallen on this road, and a commercial vehicle was crushed under this one today."
Another tree fell in Sector 6 in Uttar Pradesh's Noida.
And heavy rain flooded other parts of Noida too. Videos were shared online of waterlogging outside the Amrapali Sapphire residential complex in Sector 45.
Also traffic slowed to a crawl on the Delhi-Noida Expressway, while severe waterlogging triggered massive jams in Gurugram, with the Cyber City business district among the worst affected. There were also jams on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway.
Traffic disruptions prompted several private companies to issue work-from-home advisories.
Officials said Gurugram's drainage system had "virtually collapsed" after the city recorded 115 mm of rainfall in less than 48 hours. Data showed 83 mm fell on Tuesday and another 32 mm on Wednesday.
Weather experts attributed the rainfall over the past two days to the seasonal monsoon trough shifting northwards from central India towards the Himalayan foothills, and warned that heavy rain is likely to continue until the system moves further north.
Apart from bringing down temperatures, the rainfall also improved Delhi's air quality, which is usually at high pollution levels. The Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at a 'satisfactory' 61 at 9 am.
Rainfall has also lashed Maharashtra over the past week, leading to three deaths and the evacuation of hundreds of people in Thane district. Rain-related incidents included a building collapse in Pune, the temporary closure of a section of the Pune-Mumbai Expressway due to a landslide, and the unusual sight of around 3,000 gas cylinders floating away in floodwaters.
