Rain catches Delhiites off guard

Triggers waterlogging, traffic snarls, flight diversions in Delhi-NCR

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Many parts of the national Capital were inundated following a spell of heavy rainfall on Wednesday evening, causing massive traffic snarls in several areas.

The National Flash Flood Guidance Bulletin also included Delhi in its list of ‘areas of concern’, the weather office said.

According to the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) Automatic Weather Station (AWS) network, the Pragati Maidan observatory in central Delhi recorded 112.5 mm of rainfall in one hour.

An extreme amount of precipitation in a short period, specifically 100 mm of rainfall within an hour, is defined by the IMD as a “cloud burst”.

There has, however, been no official statement on the situation from weather officials.

It has also issued a ‘red’ warning, which calls for action and vigilance.

“Seeking safe shelter and avoiding tree cover are recommended to mitigate risks. Stay tuned for further updates as the situation develops,” it said in the advisory.

Multiple areas, including Lutyen’s Delhi, Kashmere Gate, Rajinder Nagar and ITO among others, were inundated following the heavy rain.

Visuals from south Delhi’s Qutub Minar area showed vehicles wading through waterlogged roads while traffic police personnel tried to manage vehicular movement.

The situation has caused a major disruption in vehicular movement. Visuals from various parts of the city show several areas inundated with water, leading to long traffic jams which affected commuters.