Heavy Rain Causes Waterlogging in Several Areas in Delhi, Flight Operations Briefly Suspended

New Delhi: Flight operations at the Delhi Airport were suspended for 26 minutes on Thursday evening due to extremely heavy rains accompanied by strong winds in the city, senior airport officials said.

Heavy rains lashed several parts of the national capital in the evening, bringing down the mercury level, officials said. The city recorded 35.2 mm rainfall at 8.30 pm and the temperature was recorded at 21.6 degree Celsius, a senior MeT official said.

According to the meteorological department, the maximum temperature recorded at 5.30 pm was 34.8 degree Celsius, a notch above the normal, and the minimum 23.8 degrees Celsius, two notches above normal. Humidity levels oscillated between 83% and 55%.

Airlines such as Vistara and SpiceJet warned their passengers on Twitter that due to the bad weather in Delhi, their flights might get affected.

Runway operation was suspended between 7.56 pm and 8.20 pm hrs due to heavy rains in Delhi, said an airport official, adding that four flights were diverted during this period.

The weather department has forecast generally cloudy sky with possibility of light rains or drizzle on Friday. The maximum and minimum temperatures on Friday are likely to be around 34 and 24 degrees Celsius respectively, it said.

Heavy rains also caused waterlogging and traffic congestion in many parts of the city. The Traffic Police reported congestion and waterlogging at Moolchand underpass, Tilak Bridge, Hyatt Hotel, Bhikaji Cama Place, MB road, IGNOU road and Sainik farms.

The Regional Meteorological Centre of the IMD said there was a low-pressure area over Haryana that resulted in heavy rains over the National Capital Region.

Hailstorm was also reported in some parts of Delhi, the weather office said.

States like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have been battered by a burst of rainfall towards the end of the four-month-long monsoon season, which officially ended on Monday.

The heavy rainfall has led to several rivers, including the Ganga, flowing above or near the danger mark at several places.