IMD issues Orange alert for Delhi; warns about power failure, disruption of traffic

The India Meteorological Department issued an orange alert for the national capital on Thursday, warning of "extremely bad weather" with the potential for disruption of road traffic, drain closures, and power outages just days after the Indira Gandhi International Airport was submerged in water. Heavy rains may fall in isolated areas of the city, during moderate rainfall fall in the rest. According to an IMD official, moderate rain is expected over the next two days, implying that Delhi will set yet another monsoon precipitation record. On Wednesday, the national capital's lowest temperature was 25.2 degrees Celsius. During the day, strong winds are expected to sweep the city, and the highest temperature is expected to hover around 34 degrees Celsius, according to the meteorological department's forecast.

Only five days earlier, the waterlogged forecourt and airside at Delhi airport's Terminal 3 startled people with videos of the area circulating on social media, many of which were converted into memes. Flight operations were also hampered, with five diversions, three cancellations, and more than 100 aircraft delayed.

Also Read | Heavy rains lash Delhi, it is the wettest monsoon in last 46 years

So far this monsoon season, the capital has received 1,146.4 mm of rain, the greatest in 46 years and nearly double the amount recorded last year. During the monsoon season of 1975, the Safdarjung observatory regarded the city's official meteorological marker, recorded 1,150 mm of rainfall. During the monsoon season, Delhi usually receives 653.6 mm of rain. The city gets an average of 607.7 mm of rain between June 1 and September 14, when the monsoon season begins. Until Tuesday, the monsoon had dropped 390 mm of rain on Delhi, the most in September in 77 years.

• IMD
• Orange alert
• Power failure
• traffic disrupted
• Delhi rains