Heavy rain lashes Delhi, flights disrupted; IMD issues orange alert

In its weather bulletin, the IMD said an upper air cyclonic circulation persists over north Haryana and neighbouring areas at 3.1 km above mean sea level. Such systems pull in moisture-laden winds, increasing cloud cover and the likelihood of rain. Southeasterly winds at 15 kmph were prevailing over Delhi when the bulletin was issued.

“Light to moderate rainfall accompanied with light thunderstorms and lightning (30-50 kmph gusty winds) is very likely to occur at many places of Delhi and NCR during the next two hours,” the forecast, valid till 2 pm, read.

The downpour disrupted airport operations. Indigo posted on X: “There’s a heavy downpour over #Delhi at the moment, causing some temporary disruption to flight schedules. If you’re travelling today, please be aware of potential delays and allow additional time for your journey, especially with traffic moving slower than usual.”

Air India also advised passengers to check their flight status before heading to the airport and to allow extra time for road travel.

On the cause for Tuesday’s sudden downpour, Krishna Mishra, a senior IMD scientist explained that an intense low-pressure area lies over Gulf of Kutch. The trough (an elongated low pressure area) reaches to Southeast Uttar Pradesh.

He said, “Another trough runs from this well-marked low pressure area to Northwest Rajasthan in lower tropospheric levels. The rainfall may be attributed to these two troughs facilitating moisture supply from both Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal.”

For the week ahead, the IMD has forecast light rain or drizzle on Wednesday with partly cloudy skies on most days. Maximum temperatures are expected to settle between 32°C and 34°C, which is slightly below the season’s normal. The minimum temperatures will be above normal by 3-4°C in Northwest India till October 4, said the IMD.

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