Thunderstorms lash Delhi, ‘very intense’ downpour likely by noon: IMD

A ‘red’ alert is also in place for southeast and northeast NCR, while a ‘yellow’ alert is in place for southwest and southeast parts of NCR.

Heavy rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms lashed the national capital on Tuesday morning, causing waterlogging in several parts of the city during peak office hours. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a ‘red’ alert and forecast ‘intense’ to ‘very intense’ showers in many parts of Delhi-NCR till noon.

People enjoy the rain at Kartavya Path in New Delhi. (ANI Photo)

According to the weather department, the city is expected to receive heavy rainfall, with winds gusting to 30-40 km/hr. A ‘red’ alert is also in place for southeast and northeast NCR, while a ‘yellow’ alert is in place for southwest and southeast parts of NCR.

The IMD, in a morning bulletin, warned of localised flooding and low visibility due to the heavy rains during this period. “Follow traffic advisories. Do not touch stray electric wires, take safe shelter and avoid travel if possible,” the Met department said in its advisory.

Rainfall data in the past 24 hours till 8:30am showed that Safdarjung, Delhi’s base weather station, had logged 0.8mm of rainfall, Palam 16.9mm, Ayanagar 9.9mm, Lodhi road ‘trace’, Janakpuri 14mm and Pusa 26mm.

The monsoon trough is moving closer to Delhi-NCR once again, with a low-pressure area also active in the region. “Both these factors will lead to some intense showers across Delhi-NCR. Waterlogging is a possibility in many places,” an IMD official said.

Delhi has logged 151.3mm in monsoon rainfall so far. It normally records 209.7mm in July. Delhi has mostly seen light to moderate rain this month, with no heavy rainfall spells yet.

It has been a relatively wet summer too, with excess rains seen in both May and June. In fact, May 2025 was the wettest on record, with 186.4mm of rain—far above the normal average of 30.7mm. In June, Delhi recorded 107.1mm of monthly rainfall – an excess of 45% over the LPA of 74.1mm, data showed.

Delhi’s air quality was meanwhile in the ‘satisfactory’ range. The average air quality index (AQI) stood at 87 at 9 am on Tuesday. It was 86 (satisfactory) at 4 pm on Monday too, when the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) releases its daily national bulletin.