Delhi records highest one-day rain for August in 13 years; traffic snarls as roads waterlogged

An orange alert has been issued for Delhi after heavy rain pounded the city on Saturday morning. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the national capital recorded 139 mm rainfall, the highest one-day rain for August in at least 13 years.

On Saturday morning, heavy rainfall brought Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) to a standstill with severe waterlogging in several places. In many areas of Delhi and NCR, the vehicular movement was slow due to waterlogging.

Accordingly, the IMD has placed Delhi, Haryana. Chandigarh, Punjab and West Uttar Pradesh under an orange alert for Saturday, urging residents to 'be prepared' for adverse weather conditions. The weather forecasting agency has predicted light to moderate rainfall and thundershowers till August 23 in the national capital.

The rainfall, which began in the wee hours of Saturday, brought the temperature down to 27 degrees Celsius in Delhi-NCR. Delhi’s air quality also improved considerably due to rainfall, with an average Air quality index (AQI) of below 50.

However, the incessant downpour has spelled trouble for traffic in the national capital, as many prominent roads and intersections are waterlogged.

From June 1 to August 21, seasonal rainfall accumulation in Delhi’s Safdarjung has climbed up to a whopping 744 mm—more than 50% above normal. The long-period average monsoon rainfall for Delhi is 586 mm, and the city has already registered more than half of this mark so far this year.