New Delhi: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert for Delhi on Thursday as incessant rainfall left several roads waterlogged and uprooted trees across the national capital.
Safdarjung, Delhi's base weather station, recorded 72.6 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours ending at 8.30 am, the IMD said.
The Lodhi Road weather station received 80.2 mm of rainfall, followed by Ridge with 77.8 mm, Palam with 63.0 mm and Ayanagar with 57.4 mm during the same period.
The minimum temperature settled at 24.3 degrees Celsius, 3.6 notches below normal, according to the IMD.
Hours of continuous rain disrupted normal life, causing widespread waterlogging, uprooting trees and slowing traffic across the city.
According to Delhi Fire Service (DFS) officials, two trees were uprooted on Raja Dhir Singh Marg in East of Kailash in southeast Delhi, disrupting traffic movement.
One tree fell near the ISKCON temple, while the other collapsed outside the National Heart Institute, officials said.
Waterlogging was reported from several parts of the city, including Vikas Marg, parts of East Delhi, New Delhi Railway Station, Munirka, Sadar Bazar and Dwarka.
Traffic moved slowly on the Delhi-Noida Expressway due to waterlogging, with several commuters and residents taking to social media to share their experiences.
Weather experts attributed the persistent rainfall over the past two days to the seasonal monsoon trough shifting northwards from central India towards the Himalayan foothills.
They said Delhi is likely to continue receiving widespread rainfall until the weather system moves further north, after which the city is expected to witness relatively drier conditions.
Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 61 at 9 am, placing it in the "satisfactory" category, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
According to the CPCB, an AQI between 0 and 50 is considered "good", 51-100 "satisfactory", 101-200 "moderate", 201-300 "poor", 301-400 "very poor" and 401-500 "severe".
