Heavy Rains Leave Delhi Gridlocked; Flights, Traffic Severely Disrupted

Heavy rains lashed parts of Delhi on Wednesday evening, flooding roads, disrupting traffic during rush hour, and delaying flights as the monsoon axis shifted northward. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) upgraded its forecast through the day and warned of more rain on Thursday, followed by a dip in intensity from Friday.

The showers, which followed a muggy afternoon, caught many off guard. Rainfall across the city varied widely — from just 1.4mm in Safdarjung to 60mm in Najafgarh. Despite the patchy distribution, waterlogging led to traffic snarls on major routes including Outer Ring Road, Mathura Road, Ring Road, and critical junctions like ITO, Mahipalpur, and Kashmere Gate.

“Due to waterlogging in several areas, we deployed additional traffic personnel and coordinated with civic agencies to pump out water,” said Dinesh Kumar Gupta, additional commissioner of police (traffic).

On social media, commuters shared images of submerged roads and appealed to Delhi Traffic Police for help. Mobile pumps were dispatched to several hotspots to clear standing water.

City’s Drainage Under Strain

Earlier in the day, Delhi’s Public Works Department (PWD) and Water Minister Parvesh Verma inspected the notorious Minto Bridge — a frequent flood point — and shared video footage showing no water accumulation there. Verma claimed significant progress in fixing chronic waterlogging sites including Minto Bridge, ITO, and the Moolchand flyover.

Despite that, many other stretches of the city struggled. Gridlock was reported on both sides of Mathura Road between Ashram and Badarpur, on the Outer Ring Road from Munirka to Okhla, and across arterial routes like Sardar Patel Marg, Aurobindo Marg, and the Mehrauli-Badarpur Road.

In north and central Delhi, traffic piled up on routes such as Kashmere Gate–Vijay Ghat, Pitampura–Rajouri Garden, and New Rohtak Road, while the Delhi-Meerut Expressway, DND Flyway, and Vikas Marg saw congestion through the evening.

By midnight, traffic police said the situation had improved across most areas, though delays persisted at several key junctions.

Flights Disrupted, Alerts Revised

At least six flights were diverted — two to Lucknow and four to Jaipur — due to poor visibility and heavy rain. Over 300 flights were delayed, with average delays nearing 38 minutes, according to Flightradar24.

Delhi airport issued an advisory asking passengers to use the Metro to avoid road delays. Indigo also advised travelers to plan ahead.

The IMD initially issued a yellow alert for “light to moderate” rainfall, which was upgraded to an orange alert by 6 p.m., and then to a red alert at 6:30 p.m. as conditions intensified.

Meteorologist Naresh Kumar said the rainfall was driven by two upper-air cyclonic circulations over north Haryana and northwest Uttar Pradesh, as well as the monsoon trough shifting north of its normal position. This setup is expected to remain over Delhi-NCR until Thursday, before weakening over the weekend.

Private forecaster Skymet also attributed the rains to the passing monsoon trough and predicted more moderate showers through Thursday, with potential for intense spells.

Below-Average July Rainfall So Far

Though the monsoon officially arrived in Delhi on June 29 — two days behind schedule — rainfall in the capital has been below normal so far. The city has recorded just 19.6mm of rain in July against a monthly average of 209.7mm. Last July saw 203.7mm of rain.

On Wednesday, the maximum temperature dipped to 35.6°C (1°C below normal), while the minimum was 26.4°C (2°C below normal). A further drop is expected today, with the IMD forecasting highs between 31-33°C and lows between 22-24°C.

Despite the rain-induced chaos, Delhi’s air quality remained in the ‘satisfactory’ range for the 14th straight day. The average AQI stood at 81 at 4 p.m., an improvement from Tuesday’s 98.