A powerful thunderstorm swept across Delhi-NCR in the early hours of Sunday, causing widespread waterlogging, uprooted trees, and power outages.
The storm also disrupted flight operations, with gusty winds ranging between 60 and 100 km/h grounding aircraft and delaying over 200 flights.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Delhi recorded 81.2 mm of rainfall by 5:30 am, pushing the total monthly precipitation to 186.2 mm — the highest for May since records began, surpassing the previous high of 165 mm in 2008.
A red alert was issued by IMD late Saturday night, warning of severe thunderstorms, lightning, hail, and squally winds. The alert was upgraded from orange to red around 10:30 pm as wind speeds intensified.
The storm initially struck Punjab and Haryana before moving southeast and hitting Delhi between 12:30 am and 2:30 am. Rainfall continued in parts of the capital until after 5:30 am.
Key impacted areas included Minto Road, Delhi Cantt, Dhaula Kuan, and regions near the Indira Gandhi International Airport, where waterlogging led to significant traffic snarls and damage. Visuals showed submerged vehicles and flooded streets.
Flight operations were severely affected, with average delays of 45 minutes, as per FlightRadar24. DelAircraft were unable to land or take off due to unsafe weather conditions.
The IMD also issued a public advisory, urging residents to stay indoors, unplug electrical devices, avoid taking shelter under trees, and have emergency kits ready. At Safdarjung, 68 mm of rainfall was recorded between 11:30 pm and 2:30 am, followed by another 13.2 mm over the next three hours — classifying the event as heavy rainfall.
