Huge traffic jams, heavily waterlogged roads, vehicles breaking down, scores of people stuck threw life out of gear as heavy rain lashed parts of the national Capital on Monday afternoon, with the city placed under a yellow alert for thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and moderate to heavy showers.
Till 5.30 pm, the city’s primary weather station at Safdarjung recorded 18.6 mm of rainfall, while other stations reported 30.8 mm at Palam, 48.9 mm at Aya Nagar and 16.2 mm of rainfall at Lodhi Road, IMD data showed. The weather department had also urged residents to follow the dos and don’ts it circulated for weather conditions. Heavy congestion was reported from several key roads and intersections, with commuters stranded for hours in long queues of vehicles. The situation was particularly grim in South Delhi and along major ring roads, with waterlogging further worsening the traffic flow.
In Northwest Delhi, traffic was heavy near Lala Jagat Narayan Marg around Netaji Subhash Place in Pitampura, with a significant stretch of the Outer Ring Road experiencing slow-moving traffic. Parts of South Delhi, including the busy Mahatma Gandhi Road, NH-48 and Captain Gaur Marg from Lajpat Nagar to Bahapur, were also severely congested.
The other major routes affected by the rainfall-induced traffic included Pankha Road in Janakpuri, Mathura Road, Vikas Marg, Lodhi Road, Rajaram Kohli Marg, New Rohtak Road, Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Marg and Najafgarh Road. Traffic was also severely affected on the stretch from Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Setu to Jangpura towards Sarai Kale Khan, causing delays for daily commuters.
Massive jams were reported on Mathura Road, Old Rohtak Road, parts of ITO and the corridor from Mahatma Gandhi Road to GT Karnal Road, leaving thousands of vehicles stranded due to the ongoing downpour. Several low laying areas reported waterlogging due to rain.
According to India Meteorological Department (IMD) data, the capital logged 399.8 mm of rainfall in August, making it the wettest for the month in 15 years. The last time Delhi recorded more rainfall was in 2010, at 455.8 mm.
Last month’s rainfall also surpassed August 2024’s 390.3 mm, which was spread over 17 rainy days and was at 67 per cent above the long-period average. This year, August saw rain on 14 days, with the total crossing the seasonal average. In contrast, August 2023 saw just 91.8 mm of rain, while 2022 logged 41.6 mm and 2021 recorded 237 mm.
Delhi witnessed three times the normal rainfall in June (243.3 mm) and nearly normal rainfall in July (203.7 mm). With over 750 mm recorded since June, the city has already surpassed its seasonal monsoon average and is inching towards the annual rainfall mark of 774.4 mm.
Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 23.7 degrees Celsius, 2.8 notches below the season’s average. The maximum temperature is expected to settle around 30 degrees Celsius, while the humidity stood at 90 per cent at 8.30 am, according to the IMD.
For Tuesday, the weather department has forecast a cloudy sky with moderate rain. The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to be around 31 and 22 degrees Celsius, respectively.