Heavy rains lashed Delhi on Tuesday, bringing relief from the sweltering heat.
Due to the rainfall, water entered Terminal 1 of the IGI Airport, causing inconvenience to passengers and airport staff.
Maintenance teams were deployed to drain water.
As many as 12 flights were diverted at the Delhi airport between 3 pm and 4 pm due to adverse weather conditions, reported news agency PTI, citing an official.
Waterlogging, traffic jams
Following the downpour, the national capital also witnessed waterlogging and traffic congestion in many areas of the city.
Knee-deep waterlogging affected vehicular movement in several areas, including the underpass near Delhi Cantonment, Zakhira Underpass, Pul Prahladpurr, ITO, Delhi Najafgarh Road, and Delhi Rohtak Road.
Earlier in the day, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) had issued a red alert for Delhi and neighbouring regions, forecasting thunderstorms accompanied by hail, moderate to heavy rainfall, and gusty winds with speeds reaching 50-70 kmph at isolated places.
As per the IMD data, the rainfall recorded at various weather stations included 10 mm at Safdarjung, 5 mm at Lodhi Road, 41 mm at Pusa, 15 mm at Narayana, and 23 mm at Ayanagar.
At the Palam and Safdarjung stations, winds with speeds of 35-40 kmph were observed from 2.30 pm to 3 pm and at 6.30 pm.
The weather department issued a ‘yellow’ alert, predicting thunderstorms with lightning, and light to moderate rainfall for Wednesday, and thundersqualls with wind speeds of 50-60 kmph, particularly during the night.
It also issued a moderate thunderstorm warning, highlighting potential impacts and precautionary measures.
Intense lightning warning
The IMD cautioned that intense lightning could pose a threat to life, especially in open areas.
It also recommended unplugging electrical appliances during storms to avoid damage from lightning. People were also warned against taking shelter under trees or metal structures and using mobile phones in open areas during lightning activity.