Heavy overnight rainfall, accompanied by intense thunderstorms and gale-force winds, has swept across the National Capital Region, bringing Delhi to a chilly morning and threatening to disrupt the Opposition's planned march to the Supreme Court today.
The downpour, which began post-midnight on October 11 and continued into the early hours of October 12, has led to waterlogged streets and deserted protest sites in areas like Jantar Mantar and Kalkaji, as visuals confirm the city was battered by the tempest.
IMD Issues Red and Orange Alerts
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had previously warned of severe weather conditions across Delhi, Haryana, and Punjab. Today, a high-priority red warning is in effect for all districts across the capital from 06:00 am to 09:00 am IST. This alert forecasts severe thunderstorms, lightning, gusty winds around 60 kmph, and heavy downpours exceeding 15 mm per hour.
Affected Delhi districts include Central, East, New Delhi, North, North East, North West, Shahdara, South, South East, South West, and West Delhi.
An orange alert has also been issued for surrounding satellite cities in the NCR, including Faridabad, Gurgaon, Rohtak, and Sonipat in Haryana, and Amroha, Baghpat, Bijnor, Bulandshahr, Gautam Budh Nagar, Ghaziabad, Hapur, Meerut, and Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh. These areas can expect moderate-to-intense rainfall (5-15 mm/hour) and gusty winds of 40-60 kmph during the same three-hour window.
Widespread Disruption and Safety Advisories
The sudden weather shift has triggered a sharp drop in temperatures, following a day of stifling humidity. Beyond the political march, the overnight tempest has also disrupted Navratri celebrations, leaving festival organizers scrambling to secure venues.
Authorities are urging commuters and residents to exercise extreme caution. Citizens are strongly advised to avoid sheltering under trees or weak structures, steer clear of waterlogged and flood-prone corridors, check real-time traffic updates, and strictly adhere to official advisories. The continuous downpours are significantly impacting early morning routines across the region.
Extended Weather Outlook
The IMD's weekly bulletin indicates that scattered-to-fairly widespread rainfall is projected to continue across Northwest India, affecting Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh & Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh from October 11 through October 16. Conditions are also becoming favorable for the further withdrawal of the southwest monsoon from parts of eastern India, the Northern Peninsula, and northeast India over the next two days.