Delhi-NCR to witness more rain today; IMD alerts active for Noida, Gurugram, Ghaziabad | Weather updates

The continuous rain for the past few days has also led the Yamuna River in the capital to breach the 207-metre mark for the fifth time since 1963.

Delhi and the national capital region (NCR) are expected to witness more rain on Thursday as the India Meteorological Department issued orange and yellow alerts for some areas.

Weather updates: Several areas in Delhi-NCR witnessed heavy waterlogging issues amid incessant rainfall. (Raj K Raj/HT Photo)

The continuous rain for the past few days has led the Yamuna River in the capital to breach the 207-metre mark for the fifth time since 1963. The overflowing water entered Delhi's oldest and busiest cremation ground, Nigambodh Ghat, on Wednesday, forcing it to pause operations.

According to the weather department's nowcast warnings, parts of Delhi, along with Noida and Ghaziabad, are under a yellow alert for light rain and thunderstorms. Meanwhile, an orange alert for moderate rain has been issued for Gurugram.

IMD's weather forecast for the capital predicted thunderstorms with rain, with the minimum temperature likely to settle at 24 degrees Celsius and the maximum expected to be around 33 degrees Celsius.

The weather department's bulletin forecast isolated heavy rainfall for Haryana and Chandigarh on September 4.

Meanwhile, while the Delhi airport has not yet issued any notice over flight operations, the SpiceJet airline issued an advisory for its passengers and said, "Due to bad weather in Delhi (DEL), all departures/arrivals and their consequential flights may be affected. Passengers are requested to keep a check on their flight status."

Weather today | Top updates

• Delhi: Earlier on Wednesday, intermittent rain for the third consecutive day drenched the capital thoroughly, pushing this year's season rainfall beyond the 1,000 mm mark. The annual average of 774 mm rainfall had already been surpassed in August. As of 11 pm on Wednesday, the Yamuna River was flowing at a height of 207.44 mm, nearly 1.5 metres above the evacuation threshold, and just short of 207.49m, the level the river reached during the 1978 floods.
• NCR: Noida, Ghaziabad and Gurugram, among other NCR areas, have also witnessed continuous rainfall for the past few days, with major waterlogging issues being reported in several areas. Earlier on Wednesday, schools remained shut in Noida and Ghaziabad in view of heavy rainfall and IMD's weather forecast.
• Punjab: The state is witnessing one of its worst floods since 1988, with the death toll rising to 37 on Wednesday. Relief and rescue operations are taking place on a war footing in Punjab. The state government has released ₹71 crore as an immediate relief and rehabilitation measure. The relentless rain situation in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir triggered the Sutlej, Beas and Ravi rivers to flow in spate, inundating towns, villages and disrupting everyday lives. Schools in Chandigarh, Patiala and Rupnagar have been ordered to remain shut till September 7, while all government and private-aided colleges will also be closed between September 4 and 6.
• Himachal Pradesh: Rain fury continued wreaking havoc in the state as the death toll in the Sundernagar landslide in Mandi rose to seven on Wednesday. Himachal chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu directed the Chamba administration to immediately evacuate stranded Manimahesh Yatra pilgrims and coordinate with the Air Force to deploy around six Mi-17 helicopters. Meanwhile, authorities ordered the closure of all schools and colleges till September 7 as a precautionary measure. All police unites in the state have also been instructed to step up preparedness for rescue, relief and traffic management.
• Jammu and Kashmir: Torrential downpour battered Jammu and Kashmir, triggering landslides, flash floods and landslips at multiple places, forcing the closure of several major roads, including the all-weather Srinagar-Jammu national highway for the second day. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah directed the administration to clear waterlogged areas, safeguard essential services and timely evacuate citizens from critical zones. The Border Security Force (BSF) also flew a helicopter to launch a high-risk evacuation operation to rescue 47 trapped civilians from a flooded village in Akhnoor. Several rivers in the Union Territory, including Chenab and Jhelum, are flowing close to or above the danger mark.