Monsoon arrives in Delhi-NCR, brings cool relief, disruptions

Commuters navigate a heavily waterlogged stretch in Sector 62, Noida, on Sunday (left); a traffic jam builds up on Sector 38A road near The Great India Place mall following heavy rain. SUNIL GHOSH/HT

- Arun Singh and Vinod Rajput

NOIDA/GHAZIABAD: The southwest monsoon finally made its foray into the National Capital Region on Sunday, bringing much-needed relief from the heat, while also causing brief waterlogging and traffic disruptions in parts of Gautam Budh Nagar and Ghaziabad.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) confirmed the monsoon's arrival in Delhi on June 30, with weather data showing cooler-than-usual conditions across the region.

Noida recorded 6mm of rainfall between 8.30am and 5.30pm on Sunday, according to IMD reports. The minimum temperature in the region hovered around 25.4°C, with the maximum at 29.9°C. The neighbouring Ghaziabad reported a slightly higher minimum of 26.4°C.

In Noida, intermittent rain around 4pm led to brief traffic snarls, especially near Sector 38A close to The GIP Mall, along Botanical Garden road, Maharaja Agrasen Marg, and the stretch from Film City flyover to Sector 18 underpass. Sector 62 also saw commuters struggling through a heavily waterlogged road stretch. However, Noida traffic police said the impact was minimal owing to lower traffic volumes on Sunday.