Traffic crawls as incessant rain floods key roads in Delhi; IMD sounds ‘red’ alert

3 min readNew DelhiJul 9, 2026 02:17 PM IST

Heavy rain leaves several parts of Gurugram waterlogged. (Express Photo by Gajendra Yadav)

Delhi woke up to relentless rain, flooded streets, and traffic disruptions on Thursday after overnight showers drenched the capital. With heavy rainfall expected to continue, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert, warning of moderate to heavy rain accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning across the city through the day.

The Safdarjung weather station, Delhi’s base observatory, recorded 72.6 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours. Other stations also reported showers, with Lodhi Road receiving 80.2 mm, followed by Ridge (77.8 mm), Palam (63 mm), and Ayanagar (57.4 mm).

The downpour brought a dip in temperatures, with the minimum settling at 24.3 degrees Celsius, 3.6 degrees below normal. The IMD said there has been no major change in minimum temperatures, while maximum temperatures have fallen by 6-8 degrees Celsius over the past 24 hours.

Delhi waterlogging, uprooted trees

Heavy rain triggered extensive waterlogging across several parts of the capital, disrupting traffic during the morning rush hour.

According to the Delhi Traffic Police, waterlogging was reported at Murga Mandi in Ghazipur, the Pandav Nagar underpass, the service road near Shamshan Ghat, and the ISBT flyover underpass. Dewatering operations are underway, while traffic personnel have been deployed to regulate vehicular movement. Authorities have advised commuters to drive cautiously, follow traffic advisories, and plan their journeys.

Several other areas, including Vikas Marg, Munirka, Sadar Bazar, Dwarka, East Delhi, and the New Delhi railway station, also witnessed severe waterlogging. Traffic crawled on the Delhi-Noida Expressway as commuters navigated flooded stretches.

In southeast Delhi, two trees were uprooted on Raja Dhir Singh Marg in East of Kailash, affecting traffic movement. According to the Delhi Fire Service, one tree fell near the ISKCON temple, while another collapsed outside the National Heart Institute.

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IMD weather update

The weather department attributed the persistent rainfall over the past two days to the seasonal monsoon trough shifting northwards from central India towards the Himalayan foothills.

The weather system is expected to keep Delhi under widespread rainfall through Thursday before gradually moving further north, bringing relatively drier conditions in the coming days.

More rain likely till Saturday in Delhi

The IMD has forecast an overcast sky with intermittent spells of light to moderate rain at most places and heavy rainfall at a few locations across Delhi-NCR on Thursday. Thunderstorms and lightning are also likely.

For Friday, the weather department has predicted a generally cloudy sky with very light to light rain at many places and isolated spells of moderate rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms during the morning and forenoon.

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On Saturday, Delhi is expected to witness a generally cloudy sky with the possibility of light rain, thunderstorms, and lightning, mainly during the forenoon and afternoon.

Delhi air quality

Despite the heavy rain, Delhi’s air quality remained in the ‘satisfactory’ category, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 61 at 9 am, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board. The rainfall is expected to help keep pollution levels in check over the next few days, according to the IMD bulletin.