Red alert issued in Delhi due to heavy rain and thunderstorms

A red alert has been issued for India’s capital, New Delhi, and the National Capital Region (NCR) due to heavy rainfall and thunderstorms on Monday (October 12), according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The Hindustan Times reported that heavy rain and thunderstorms began across New Delhi and the NCR early Monday morning. Noida, Gurugram and Ghaziabad also experienced heavy rainfall.

Waterlogging has been reported in several parts of the capital, raising concerns about severe traffic congestion.

The IMD warned of rainfall exceeding 15mm per hour, accompanied by severe thunderstorms and gusty winds reaching speeds of 60 kilometres per hour. The warning was in effect until 9am.

Heavy rain also caused waterlogging near Jhandewalan Temple in the Karol Bagh area of central Delhi. The downpour during the morning rush hour raised concerns about disruptions to traffic across the region.

Despite the early morning rainfall, the weather department forecast partly cloudy skies in Delhi over the next six days, with no further rain expected.

Maximum temperatures are forecast to range between 31 and 35 degrees Celsius over the coming days.