Delhi Rains: Severe Flooding, Traffic Chaos Amid Heavy Showers

Heavy rain lashed Delhi on Wednesday, with Mayur Vihar recording 119 mm rainfall in three hours, large parts of the city being inundated and the city government announcing the closure of all schools on August 1.

According to the India Meteorological Department, Safdarjung - the city's primary weather station - recorded 79.2 mm rainfall between 5:30 pm and 8:30 pm.

The weather stations at Mayur Vihar recorded 119 mm rainfall, Delhi University 77.5 mm, Pusa 66.5 mm and Palam 43.7 mm.

Earlier, the IMD's Automatic Weather Station network had said that the Pragati Maidan observatory in central Delhi recorded 112.5 mm of rainfall in just one hour, pointing to the possibility of a cloud burst.

Extreme precipitation in a short period, specifically 100 mm of rainfall within an hour, is defined by the IMD as a cloud burst.

However, the weather office later denied this and said, "The data is incorrect." The National Flash Flood Guidance Bulletin also included Delhi in its list of 'areas of concern', the weather office had said.

The IMD had also issued a 'red' warning, which calls for action and vigilance, and advised people to remain indoors, secure windows and doors and refrain from unnecessary travel.

"Seeking safe shelter and avoiding tree cover are recommended to mitigate risks. Stay tuned for further updates as the situation develops," it said in the advisory.

The heavy rainfall brought the national capital to a screeching halt, inundated large parts of the city, choked key stretches with unending traffic and left people stranded as roads turned into rivers.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi received four complaints about waterlogging and three about fallen trees.

The traffic police issued an advisory, asking commuters to avoid certain roads.

Visuals from south Delhi's Qutub Minar area showed vehicles wading through waterlogged roads while police tried to manage traffic.

Education Minister Atishi later announced that all schools would in Delhi remain closed on Thursday in the aftermath of the heavy rain and the forecast of more rainfall on Thursday.

She said in a post on X, "In light of the very heavy rainfall this evening and the forecast of heavy rainfall tomorrow, all schools -- ”both government and private -- will remain closed on 1st August."

At least 10 flights scheduled to land at the Delhi airport were diverted -- eight to Jaipur and two to Lucknow -- due to inclement weather conditions. Airlines also warned of the possibility of more flight disruptions.

The heavy downpour also led to a house collapse in north Delhi's Sabji Mandi area. While details of it were still awaited, the Delhi Fire Services said the house was located close to the Ghanta Ghar near Robin Cinema.

Five fire tenders are at the spot, the department added.

Delhi Lt Governor, in a post on X, said he cautioned officers to remain alert in light of the heavy downpour in Delhi.

"Apart from ensuring minimum inconvenience to people in general, they are advised to specifically address issues at sites prone to waterlogging, including coaching centres," he said in the post.

The national capital on Wednesday recorded a maximum temperature of 37.8 degrees Celsius.

According to the IMD, the humidity level stood at 63% at 5:30 pm.

The city recorded a minimum temperature of 30.4 degrees Celsius, 3.3 notches above normal.

The IMD has predicted a wet spell till August 5.