Several parts of Delhi-NCR, particularly Noida and Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, received continuous heavy rainfall overnight and continued into Thursday morning, leading to heavy flooding and slowdown in traffic.
A photo taken by drones moves slowly in a traffic jam on the Delhi-Gurugram Expressway in Gurugram on Wednesday. (ANI)
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for all parts of Delhi, warning of extremely heavy rainfall, while an orange alert has been issued for Ghaziabad, Noida, Meerut and Gurugram districts where more intense rainfall is expected throughout the day. Stay tuned for rain updates on July 9th here
‘Massive downpours’ in Delhi and Ghaziabad
Weather enthusiasts tracking the monsoon system warned on Thursday morning that the ongoing spell could intensify further over the next few hours. Amateur meteorologist Navdeep Dahiya said in a report on X Delhi that NCR will experience “massive downpour” in the next 24 hours as the region lies in the western quadrant of a low pressure area.
According to him, the next 12 hours will be the most decisive, with constant light to moderate rain, interspersed with frequent heavy downpours.
He said eastern parts of NCR including Noida, Ghaziabad, north and east Delhi are likely to bear the brunt of the system and could receive up to 200 mm of rainfall, while central, west and south Delhi and Faridabad could receive 100 mm to 150 mm of rainfall. Gurugram received 70 to 150 mm of rainfall. Dahiya also cautioned residents against venturing out unnecessarily, warning of widespread flooding, especially in eastern NCR and adjoining parts of Delhi.
His X message read: “Over the next 24 hours, we will experience widespread rainfall in Delhi (NCR) which is located in the western quadrant of the low pressure area.
• The next 12 hours until late evening are the most important.
• There will be persistent light to moderate showers with frequent periods of heavy showers.
• The eastern part of NCR (Noida, Ghaziabad, north and east Delhi) will be worst hit by persistent heavy rains – further 200mm of rain is possible.
• Central, West, South Delhi, Faridabad may receive 100 to 150 mm.
• Gurgaon b/w 70-150 mm.
• East-central Haryana along with Chandigarh is expected to experience 40-100 mm.
Avoid spending time outdoors unless absolutely necessary, there is a high chance of waterlogging in most areas, especially in eastern NCR and adjoining Delhi. Stay safe.”
Another weather enthusiast’s X page, India Skymet Weather, also flagged the possibility of intense rainfall, saying a passing low pressure area trapped in the monsoon trough is moving north of Delhi, with its western and southwestern quadrant expected to impact Delhi-NCR during the day.
Persistent heavy rainfall with intense convective cloud activity is forecast to occur over east Delhi, east NCR, Ghaziabad, Noida, Baghpat and Meerut in the next 24 hours, with an estimated 180 to 250 mm of rainfall.
IMD weather alerts
According to the weather forecast released on the IMD website around 8:45 am, a red alert was issued for rain in all areas of Delhi on Thursday morning. Delhi’s adjoining districts of Ghaziabad, Noida (Gautam Buddh Nagar) as well as Haryana’s Gurugram were under orange alert simultaneously due to thunderstorm and moderate to heavy rain.
The IMD has forecast continued rainfall in Delhi-NCR for the next few days, with authorities advising residents to avoid unnecessary travel, remain alert to flooding and traffic congestion, and monitor official weather forecasts.
Transport chaos, waterlogging
Rain in Delhi-NCR led to heavy flooding and hours of traffic chaos in several parts of the cities, especially Gurugram, prompting private offices to issue advisories to employees to work from home.
Roads across Gurugram remained flooded on Wednesday and Thursday, with traffic moving slowly at key stretches, including the service lane of the Delhi-Jaipur Highway near Narsinghpur, Basai, Kadipur and Sohna Road. Several vehicles reportedly broke down in flooded areas, leaving passengers stranded for several hours.
Teams from the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG), Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA), police and other departments have been deployed to clear the flooded areas and regulate traffic, officials said. Flooding was reported in Sectors 31 and 39, Sheetla Mata Mandir Road, Sector 10A, Pataudi Road, Basai Road, Kadipur and Umang Bhardwaj Chowk, among other areas.
The IMD said several parts of Delhi-NCR recorded significant rainfall from 8:30 am on July 8 to 6 am on July 9. In Delhi, Mehrauli recorded the highest rainfall of 83 mm, followed by Lodi Road (79 mm), Pusa (73 mm), Chhatarpur (68 mm), Mayur Vihar (66 mm), Janakpuri (26 mm). mm), Narayana (57 mm), Pragati Maidan (46 mm), Najafgarh (42 mm), Mungeshpur (40 mm), Jharoda Kalan (33 mm) and Jafarpur (6 mm).
In NCR, Kamla Nehru Nagar in Ghaziabad received the highest rainfall of 143 mm, while Hindon received the highest rainfall of 53 mm. Gurugram saw comparatively less rainfall with North CAP University receiving 27mm and KVK 21mm during the same period. The rainfall data comes as the IMD has issued a red alert for Delhi and an orange alert for adjoining NCR districts, warning of more heavy rainfall and the possibility of flooding and traffic disruptions throughout the day.