Red alert in Delhi-NCR: Overnight rain turns streets into rivers, IMD says more pain ahead

Overnight downpours drenched Delhi-NCR from late Friday into Saturday morning, forcing the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to escalate warnings to a red alert as intense showers and gusty winds swept across the capital and neighbouring states.

The first red alert was sounded at 6:20 a.m., followed by another at 7 a.m., warning of “moderate to heavy rainfall accompanied with moderate thunderstorm and lightning (30–40 km/h gusty winds)” over Delhi, NCR, and adjoining districts in Haryana and Rajasthan.

Rain began late Friday with a yellow alert in place until 2:30 a.m. That was upgraded to an orange alert for East Delhi by 5:30 a.m., and then to red as showers intensified. IMD officials said light to moderate rain was likely to persist for two more hours, with intense spells in eastern and central Delhi.

By 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Safdarjung — Delhi’s base observatory — had recorded 78.7 mm of rain in 24 hours, including 49.6 mm in just three hours. Pragati Maidan logged 100.3 mm, Lodhi Road 80.7 mm, and Pusa 69 mm. The IMD advised residents to watch for waterlogging, traffic delays of up to 30 minutes, and reduced visibility, and to avoid standing near weak structures.

Significant rainfall also hit parts of Punjab and Uttarkashi, the latter still reeling from a flash flood earlier this week.

While no further alerts have been issued for the coming days, the forecast points to light rain or thunderstorms over the next six days, with moderate showers expected on August 13 and higher chances of rain on the morning of August 14. Independence Day is likely to see partly cloudy skies with light rain or thunderstorms, and temperatures ranging between 22°C and 33°C — several degrees below the seasonal average.

Delhi has already received 118 mm of rain in August against the month’s normal of 233.1 mm. July saw above-normal rainfall at 259.3 mm, compared with the average 209.7 mm.