Delhi receives 148.5mm of rainfall in just three hours, more showers likely today

Heavy rainfall lashed the national capital in the early hours of Friday, leaving several roads waterlogged. Safdarjung, representative of Delhi’s weather, recorded 148.5mm of rainfall in a three-hour window between 2:30 am and 5:30 am, which is nearly three times the 51.1mm annual rainfall Delhi has received so far this year, data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) showed.

Waterlogging was also reported across large parts of the capital, impacting early-morning traffic. The Delhi Traffic Police said the movement of vehicles was affected on the outer ring road on both carriageways, from Shantivan towards ISBT, due to waterlogging near the Y-point of Saleemgarh and Nigambodh Ghat. On Aurobindo Marg, both carriageways from INA towards AIIMS were impacted due to waterlogging under the AIIMS flyover.

On Vir Vanda Bairagi Marg, traffic was impacted due to a waterlogged Azad Market underpass; on ring road from Naraina towards Moti Bagh under the Dhaula Kuan flyover and on Anuvrat Marg on both carriageways.

Safdarjung received 228.1mm of rainfall in the 24-hour period between 8:30 am on Thursday and Friday, with 148.5mm of rainfall in just the three-hour period between 2:30 am and 5:30 am, making it a ’very heavy’ rainfall spell for Delhi and counting, the IMD said.

The all-time record for a 24-hour rainfall spell at Safdarjung in June is 235.5mm, which was recorded on June 28, 1936.

Delhi’s other manual weather stations – Palam, Lodhi road, Ridge and Ayanagar – all recorded heavy rainfall. In the 24 hours till 8:30 am, Lodhi Road recorded 192.8mm; Ridge 150.4mm; Palam 106.6mm and Ayanagar 66.3mm.

“We will look at past records to see how this compares to previous spells, only after 8:30 am, as more rain is still being recorded in Delhi,” said an IMD official. Light rain is expected to continue till late afternoon in parts of the city.

The IMD classifies rainfall as ‘light’ when it is between 2.5mm and 15.5mm; as ‘moderate’ when it is between 15.6mm and 64.4mm; as ‘heavy’ when it is between 64.5mm and 115.5mm and as ‘very heavy’ when over 115.5mm in a 24-hour window.

The last time Delhi witnessed a ‘very heavy’ rainfall spell at Safdarjung was on July 9, 2023, when 153mm was recorded in a 24-hour window.

At the Palam weather station, which represents the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport, 93mm has been recorded during this period, the IMD said. The heavy rain also led to the collapse of a portion of the canopy at the departures forecourt area of Terminal 1 around 5 am, leading to injuries to at least four people as multiple cars were crushed. Departures from Terminal 1 have been suspended, airport operator Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) said.

“Due to heavy rain since early this morning, a portion of the canopy at the old Departure forecourt of Delhi Airport’s Terminal 1 collapsed around 5 am. There are injuries reported, and emergency personnel are working to provide all necessary assistance and medical aid to those affected,” a DIAL spokesperson said.

“As a result of this incident, all departures from Terminal 1 are temporarily suspended, and check-in counters are closed as safety measure. We sincerely regret this disruption and apologize for any inconvenience caused,” the spokesperson added.

HT on June 8 reported that this was Delhi’s driest start to the year since 2018, with only 44.7mm of rain recorded at Safdarjung in the first five months of this year. This is only 42% of the long-period average of 104.8mm, which Delhi’s base observatory receives in the first five months of the year. The last time Delhi received less rainfall at the start of the year was 43.5mm in 2018.

Till 8:30 am on Thursday, June’s monthly total meanwhile stood at just 6.4mm, well short of the monthly normal rainfall mark of 74.1mm. “All this has changed in the last 24 hours and now June has recorded excess monthly rainfall,” said the IMD official.