Delhi records 98% of August rainfall in just 5 days, surge in rain-related disasters

According to IMD data, Delhi has recorded 230.1mm of rain in August so far – just 3mm short of the 233.1mm LPA for the month.

With just five days of rainfall in the first week of August, Delhi has already received 98% of the long-period average (LPA) precipitation for the entire month, India Meteorological Department (IMD) data accessed by HT showed, as the city and surrounding areas again reported spells of rain on Saturday.

The intense spell over the past week led to several instances of waterlogging, traffic snarls, uprooted trees and rain-related incidents across Delhi-NCR. (HT Photo/Sunil Ghosh)

According to IMD data, Delhi has recorded 230.1mm of rain in August so far – just 3mm short of the 233.1mm LPA for the month. In other words, the city has received almost an entire month’s average rainfall in just five days, with the intense spell over the past week leading to several instances of waterlogging, traffic snarls, uprooted trees and rain-related incidents across Delhi-NCR.

In July, the city received 258mm of rain against a normal of 209.77mm for the month. Following Saturday’s rain, Delhi has now received 529.9mm of rain so far this monsoon. The LPA for the entire monsoon in Delhi is 640.4mm.

After a day of heavy rain wreaking havoc across the region on Friday, rainfall intensity reduced somewhat on Saturday. Safdarjung, Delhi’s base weather station, recorded 4.4mm of rain on Saturday, compared with 59.3mm on Friday.

To be sure, other parts of the city did not receive much of a reprieve. Between 8.30am and 8.30pm on Saturday, Pushp Vihar recorded the highest rainfall at 65.5mm, followed by Najafgarh (29mm), Ayanagar (16mm) and Delhi Ridge (9.4mm).

Between 8.30am on Friday and 8.30am on Saturday, Delhi recorded 98.7mm of rain, its highest 24-hour rainfall in August since 2024, when 107.6mm was recorded.

Weather forecast

IMD has forecast the possibility of multiple spells of very light to light rain over the coming week. “There is a possibility of very light rain at many places in the early morning hours of Sunday, with a possible spell of very light to light rain in the evening as well,” an IMD official said.

Saturday’s maximum temperature was 32.8°C, while the minimum was 24.7°C. Generally cloudy skies are expected to persist, with maximum temperatures remaining below 35°C.

Waterlogging, tree-felling and electrocution

In Faridabad, police said 26-year-old delivery executive Ram Khelawan died after allegedly being electrocuted by current leaking from an electric pole while crossing a waterlogged Roshan Nagar-Sehatpur Road on Friday evening. Khelawan was a native of Nawabpur village in Uttar Pradesh’s Shahjahanpur district.

In Madanpur Khadar, Ankit, 18, was swept away in the Priyanka Camp Nala around 8pm on Friday. His friend called the Kalindi Kunj police station at 8.31pm after seeing him slip into the drain. “Despite sustained efforts, the missing person could not be traced so far. Search and rescue operations are continuing,” police said.

Several roads, including Rohtak Road, Mehrauli-Badarpur Road and parts of Sadar Bazar, remained waterlogged on Saturday. Traffic snarls were reported at the Kalindi Kunj border, ITO, Press Enclave Marg, Geetanjali Marg and Mehrauli-Badarpur Road, while parts of east Delhi, including stretches of GT Road, were also affected.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi received nine tree-felling complaints from Rohini, Civil Lines, Ibrahimpur, Gautam Nagar, Sighada Chowk, East of Kailash, Paschim Vihar and Model Town. Waterlogging complaints were received from Jai Vihar Phase-3, Rama Vihar, Sant Nagar in Burari and Rohini Sector 38.

Despite the heavy rain, Delhi’s air quality remained in the “satisfactory” category. The 24-hour average air quality index was 63 at 4pm on Saturday, unchanged from Friday, according to Central Pollution Control Board data.