New Delhi saw intense rainfall across the National Capital Region, leaving several market streets and arterial roads waterlogged and disrupting movement. In some commercial pockets, water levels rose up to waist height, forcing commuters and shoppers to wade through flooded lanes.
As the rain intensified, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) progressively raised its warning level from yellow to orange, and then issued a red alert at 12.25 pm for very heavy rain. The agency cautioned that thunderstorms, lightning and intense showers could affect the capital.
Very heavy rainfall was also reported in Noida, Ghaziabad and Gurgaon. Waterlogging was seen in and around Connaught Place, Janpath, parts of Lutyens’ Delhi, Bharat Mandapam Road, Barakhamba Road, ITO and nearby Mathura Road, Kalindi Kunj and other low-lying areas.
Traffic slowed at multiple junctions where rainwater accumulated, with motorists navigating submerged stretches cautiously. Long snarls were reported from Greater Kailash-2 via Savitri Cinema towards Chirag Delhi, Hauz Khas and R.K. Puram, and along the M.B. Road corridor from Sangam Vihar towards Khanpur.
Weather experts said the renewed spell follows a revival of the southwest monsoon aided by other weather systems. IMD noted that a Bay of Bengal low-pressure system moving inland, along with two upper-air cyclonic circulations—one over southwest Rajasthan and another near north-central Uttar Pradesh close to Delhi—could keep heavy to very heavy rain in pockets, with widespread rain expected up to August 3.
