Heavy rain brings Delhi to standstill, temperatures plunge

New Delhi: Delhi was shrouded in dense clouds on Tuesday as early October rains brought a respite from the scorching weekend heat but also triggered severe traffic disruptions and waterlogging across the city. The downpour, caused by a western disturbance, led to a sharp dip in temperatures and limited visibility in several areas.

At Palam Airport, visibility dropped dramatically from 6,000 metres at 1:30 pm to 1,200 metres by 5 pm, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The Palam weather station recorded 41.6 mm of rainfall till 5:30 pm, while Ridge recorded 37 mm. Safdarjung, the city’s primary weather station, logged 5.8 mm, IMD data showed.

The rains brought the mercury down sharply. Tuesday’s maximum temperature settled at 29.8°C, 4.4 degrees below the seasonal norm, a marked fall from Sunday’s 36°C high. The minimum temperature touched 21°C, slightly below the expected 22.3°C.

However, the weather change came with its own set of challenges. Traffic snarls and waterlogged streets made commuting difficult across multiple parts of Delhi. Key arterial roads, including Dwarka Expressway, Dwarka Road near Sadar Metro station, and stretches in East Delhi like Patparganj, saw long queues of vehicles and bumper-to-bumper movement.

Netizens took to social media platform X to highlight the situation. One commuter tweeted about a “huge traffic jam on the Dwarka Expressway from Bamnoli and Chhawla”, while another flagged “severe waterlogging near Retreat Apartment in Patparganj” that slowed traffic. Officials from Delhi Traffic Police said movement was severely hampered in low-lying areas, and additional personnel were deployed to manage congestion at major choke points. Traffic towards the airport was also affected, with long delays reported from Connaught Place to Dhaula Kuan, as well as on Roshanara Road and Azad Market Chowk.

The IMD has forecasted cloudy skies for Wednesday, with the city under the green zone for weather, and temperatures expected to hover around a maximum of 31°C and a minimum of 20°C. On Tuesday, yellow and orange alerts were in place.

Air quality remained satisfactory, with an AQI of 73 at 4 pm, according to Central Pollution Control Board data. AQI readings between 51 and 100 fall in the “satisfactory” range.