Delhi witnessed a heavy downpour on Wednesday evening, with Mayur Vihar receiving 89.5mm of rain within an hour, from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) noted that this amount of rainfall was nearly equivalent to a ‘cloudburst.’
Several weather stations across Delhi recorded over 100mm of rainfall by Thursday morning. Light to moderate showers continued overnight due to a convergence of thunderclouds over the NCR region on Wednesday evening.
Impact and Waterlogging
The initial heavy rainfall, which exceeded 50mm per hour, caused widespread waterlogging and disrupted air traffic. Although the intensity of the rain decreased after 8:30 pm on Wednesday, most parts of Delhi continued to experience rainfall until around 2:30 am when the clouds began to clear.
Rainfall Data and Forecast
IMD data from 8:30 am on Wednesday to 5:30 am on Thursday showed significant rainfall across multiple stations. Safdarjung, representing Delhi’s weather, recorded 107.6mm of rain. Other notable recordings include:
– Palam: 68.3mm
– Delhi University: 104.5mm
– Pusa: 86mm
– Najafgarh: 112.5mm
– Mayur Vihar: 147.5mm
– Narela: 39.5mm
– Pitampura: 45.5mm
Between 5:30 pm and 8:30 pm on Wednesday, the city received 79.2mm of rain. The next three hours saw a decrease, with only 15.2mm recorded. From 11:30 pm to 2:30 am, another 13.2mm was recorded, followed by no rainfall in the subsequent hours until 5:30 am.
Classification of Rainfall
The IMD classifies rainfall intensity as follows:
– Light: up to 10mm per hour
– Moderate: 10-20mm per hour
– Intense: 20-30mm per hour
– Very Intense: 30-50mm per hour
– Extremely Intense: 50-100mm per hour
– Cloudburst: over 100mm per hour
With Mayur Vihar recording 89.5mm in just one hour, the rainfall was categorized as an ‘extremely intense’ spell, nearing the threshold for a cloudburst.
Advisory and Alerts
The Delhi Traffic Police issued an advisory for early morning commuters, recommending them to avoid Rohtak Road due to heavy waterlogging and potholes. The IMD forecasts scattered drizzles to light rain in some parts of Delhi over the next few hours, with a yellow alert in place for the rest of Thursday.
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