Rain causes waterlogging, traffic disruptions in Delhi

New Delhi, Aug 23 (PTI) Rain lashed many parts of the national capital on Friday afternoon, causing waterlogging and traffic snarls in several areas, with the downpour also leading to a slight drop in the maximum temperature, according to the weather department.

Parts of south, east, north west and central Delhi received showers, with the city being placed under a 'yellow' alert, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

Following the rain, the maximum temperature was recorded at 31.2 degrees celsius, a drop of three notches below normal, down from Thursday’s temperature of 36.6 degrees celsius.

The humidity level stood at 80 per cent at 5.30 pm.

The IMD has forecast a generally cloudy sky and a light rain accompanied by thunderstorms for Saturday, with the maximum and minimum temperatures expected to settle at 34 degrees and 27 degrees celsius, respectively.

The capital will be in the green zone on Saturday, meaning no alert has been issued, but this will turn into a yellow alert the day after.

For the next seven days, the weathermen have forecast rainfall varying from light to moderate, accompanied by thunderstorms.

Due to the rainfall, parts of the city experienced waterlogged streets, affecting traffic movement.

The police informed commuters through a post on X, advising them to take alternative routes or avoid certain areas.

Traffic was affected in places, including GTK Road, RTR on the carriageway from Moti Bagh Chowk towards Sector-8 RK Puram, Ring Road, Vande Mataram Marg and GGR, as well as on both carriageways of the Ring Road from Safdarjung towards Dhaula Kuan and other areas.

This year, August is likely to be one of the wettest months in the national capital, with the city recording 269.9 mm of rainfall so far, marking the highest rainfall in the last decade, according to data from the IMD.

Delhi received 274 mm of rainfall by August 23, surpassing the previous high recorded in August 2014, according to the IMD data.

The IMD data reveals that before 2024, the highest August rainfall in recent years was recorded in 2013, with 321 mm and in 2012, with 378 mm.

The all-time record for August rainfall in Delhi stands at 583.3 mm, set in 1961, according the IMD data. PTI NSM NSM MNK MNK