Wet spell to persist in Noida, Gzb: IMD

Rain is likely to continue across Gautam Budh Nagar over the next few days, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasting thunderstorms and lightning on Wednesday, even as Tuesday’s heavy rain caused waterlogging in several parts of Noida

Rain is likely to continue across Gautam Budh Nagar over the next few days, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasting thunderstorms and lightning on Wednesday, even as Tuesday’s heavy rain caused waterlogging in several parts of Noida.

The IMD has forecast a generally cloudy sky with a few spells of rain or thundershowers, accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning, on Wednesday. (Sunil Ghosh/HT Photo)

According to the IMD, Gautam Budh Nagar received just 0.5mm of rainfall till 8.30am on Tuesday. By 5.30pm, however, the district had recorded 56mm of rain, classified as “heavy” by the IMD. The maximum temperature settled at 29.9°C, while the minimum was 26.6°C. Relative humidity was 95% at 8.30am and 68% at 5.30pm.

The IMD has forecast a generally cloudy sky with a few spells of rain or thundershowers, accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning, on Wednesday. Similar conditions are expected on Thursday, though no warning has been issued. Partly cloudy skies with isolated spells of rain are likely on Friday, the weather office said.

Weather experts attributed the wet spell to a deep depression over the Bay of Bengal and a cyclonic circulation over Rajasthan.

Palawat said July witnessed sharp week-to-week fluctuations, with an exceptionally wet first week followed by a prolonged dry spell before widespread rainfall between July 21 and July 24 erased the month’s deficit. Between July 1 and July 26, the country received 238.2mm of rainfall, slightly above the normal 233.9mm, and July is expected to end with near-normal rainfall despite these fluctuations.

Tuesday’s heavy rain, however, once again exposed Noida’s chronic waterlogging problem, with several roads and low-lying areas inundated.

Multiple vehicles were stranded after rainwater accumulated beneath the Mahamaya Flyover near Sector 94, slowing traffic movement during peak hours.

Around the Sector 62 Metro station, waterlogging on the service road forced auto-rickshaws and other vehicles to crawl through inundated stretches, while pedestrians struggled to negotiate submerged roads to reach the station.

In Barola village (Sector 49), knee-deep water inundated internal roads. Videos shared on social media showed schoolchildren wading through filthy water, a father carrying his young daughter across a flooded stretch and delivery personnel pushing their two-wheelers through the water.

Waterlogging was also reported in Sector 18, one of the city’s busiest commercial hubs. In Sector 22, an uprooted tree partially blocked a road and disrupted traffic until civic teams cleared the obstruction.

Neighbouring Ghaziabad also remained under the influence of the active monsoon conditions. According to the IMD, the city recorded a maximum temperature of 30.3°C and a minimum of 26.2°C on Tuesday, with 17.5mm of rainfall till 8.30am.

For Ghaziabad, the IMD has forecast a generally cloudy sky with a few spells of rain or thundershowers accompanied by heavy rainfall, thunderstorms and lightning on Wednesday. Rain or thundershowers are likely to continue on Thursday, though no warning has been issued.

While rain is expected to continue across north India through the week, Palawat said a clearer picture of the monsoon’s performance during August and September is likely to emerge in the first week of August, with the evolving El Niño and Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) expected to influence rainfall during the second half of the season.