Light rain in Delhi, Ggm drowns in deluge

The India Meteorological Department has forecast more of the same in the days to come, with a yellow alert in place for Wednesday

Parts of Delhi recorded light to moderate showers on Tuesday, with a combination of strong winds and rain leading to four flights due to land at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport being diverted. Neighbouring Gurugram, however, recorded a short but intense spell of rain in the afternoon, which left roads of half the city submerged under ankle-deep water for much of the day.

Dark clouds over Connaught Place in New Delhi on Tuesday. (Raj K Raj/HT PHOTO)

The India Meteorological Department has forecast more of the same in the days to come, with a yellow alert — which signifies that people need to stay updated about severe weather — in place for Wednesday.

The Safdarjung observatory, which is representative of Delhi’s weather, recorded just 0.2mm of rain between 8.30am and 5.30 pm on Tuesday. However, weather stations at other parts of the city logged moderate spells of rain, with the most at Ayanagar (24.2mm).

Noida, too, witnessed rain, though no data was available for how much rain the city logged, while Ghaziabad recorded 1mm of rain.

Gurugram, meanwhile, logged 39mm of rainfall, according to IMD, though the district administration pegged the rainfall at a much higher figure — 65mm. “Strong thunder clouds began to form over Delhi, with light to moderate showers seen in parts of southwest, central and northwest Delhi. This was on account of the active monsoon trough moving across Delhi, and it will remain over Delhi-NCR on Wednesday too, with chances of moderate showers once again,” said Kuldeep Srivastava, scientist at IMD.

Tuesday’s rain, a majority of which occurred between 2pm and 4pm, led to at least four flights being diverted from IGI airport — three to Amritsar and one to Lucknow, officials said.

The rain also brought Gurugram to a virtual standstill, with long, winding traffic snarls in several key parts of the Millennium City, including National Highway 48 (NH-48). Police, Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) and Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) teams were pressed into action, removing excess water through pumps to help traffic movement, but commuters on certain stretches, including Golf Course Road, Golf Course Extension Road, Vatika Chowk, Kherki Daula, Iffco Chowk, Sector 10, and Sector 51, said they were stuck on the road for more than 40 minutes.

Mohinder Srivastava, who commutes daily between Sohna Road and Sant Nagar in Delhi, said it took two hours to get a cab, and he was on the road for two-and-a-half hours after that.

“There was a high demand (for cabs) and I finally managed to get one at 6pm. I reached home at around 8.30 pm. The cab aggregator charged ₹1200, though the fare is usually ₹550-600,” he said.

While light rain is forecast in Delhi till July 10, Srivastava said that the Capital and its surrounding regions will likely witness moderate rain on July 8, owing to an active western disturbance. “While the monsoon trough may move away by July 6, we will see an active western disturbance influencing the region on July 8, with the rain intensity to once again increase,” he said.

The rain, however, did not lead to a drop in temperature, with the Safdarjung observatory recording a maximum of 37.7 degrees Celsius (°C) — normal for this time of the year. Other parts of NCR were cooler — Gurugram recorded a high of 37.1°C, while Noida and Ghaziabad logged a maximum of 34.4°C and 34.5°C, respectively.

Delhi logged a minimum temperature of 29.6°C —two notches above normal — with the lows of Gurugram, Noida, and Ghaziabad at 28.9°C, 29.3°C, and 29.8°C, respectively. Humidity levels, meanwhile, oscillated between 60% and 80% for most of Tuesday. Forecasts show that Delhi’s maximum on Wednesday is likely to hover around 34°C, while the minimum will be around 28°C.

In terms of air quality, Delhi’s pollution levels stayed “moderate”, with the average Air Quality Index (AQI) reading of 144 at 4pm, according to the Central Pollution Control Board’s national bulletin. This was a slight increase from the 118 (moderate) recorded on Monday. The AQI is forecast to remain in “satisfactory” for the next three days and will remain “satisfactory” to “moderate” for the next week.