Heavy rain, strong winds hit Delhi. Details of IMD forecast here
A car submerged in water in the Delhi Cantt area after heavy rains caused severe waterlogging in Delhi | X
Delhiites on Sunday woke up to heavy showers on Sunday morning accompanied by strong winds, that blew at a speed of about 60 kmph. The showers threw life off track, with waterlogging reported across the national capital and nearby areas.
The city received over 81.2 mm of rainfall till 5:30 am on Monday, making this the wettest May ever. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the city's primary weather station recorded winds gusting up to 82 kmph and 81.2 mm of rain in six hours -- between 11.30 pm and 5.30 am.
IMD predictions
The IMD has already predicted a thunderstorm in Delhi from the early hours of Sunday. "A thunderstorm cell is approaching Delhi and adjoining areas from the west/northwest," the IMD said, adding that it will be accompanied by "frequent lightning and gusty winds (speed reaching 40-60 km/h or more)".
"Partly cloudy skies are expected to continue on Monday and Tuesday as well. The Capital might thunderstorms and gusty winds for the rest of the following week as well," the forecast said.
The weather department issued a red alert in many districts of not only Delhi but also Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. The IMD also predicts that the monsoon winds strengthening across South and West India will result in increased rain activity in North India, including Delhi-NCR, over the coming days.
Flight operations
Flight operations were disrupted at the Delhi airport early Sunday due to heavy rains and winds.
In a post on X at 3.59 am, IndiGo said adverse weather conditions over Delhi had led to temporary disruptions in flight operations. "While the weather is gradually easing, some airside congestion remains. We assure you that flight movements are steadily resuming as conditions permit," the airline said.
However, another post at 5.54 am read that clearer skies over Delhi, flight operations are back to normal. According to information available on flight tracking website Flightradar24.com, many flights have been delayed and some cancelled at the airport, and the average delay was over 30 minutes for departures.
India