Delhi-NCR on Red Alert as Heavy Rain Floods Roads, Triggers Massive Traffic Chaos

Delhi and the National Capital Region woke up to waterlogged roads, crawling traffic and relentless rain on Thursday morning after overnight showers battered several parts of the region. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) placed the national capital under a red alert, warning of extremely heavy rainfall, while neighbouring cities including Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram and Meerut remained under an orange alert.

The worst of the rain is expected over east Delhi and the eastern NCR belt, particularly Noida and Ghaziabad. With several areas already reporting waterlogging, authorities have urged residents to avoid unnecessary travel and stay away from flooded roads and underpasses.

The IMD's latest nowcast, issued around 8.45 am, put all districts of Delhi under a red alert, its highest weather warning category. Orange alerts were issued for Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Gurugram and adjoining NCR districts, indicating thunderstorms accompanied by moderate to heavy rainfall.

The weather office has also forecast that the wet spell is likely to continue over the next few days as monsoon activity remains active across north India.

A red alert indicates weather conditions that require immediate action, while an orange alert asks people to remain prepared for potentially disruptive weather. In Delhi-NCR, even a few hours of intense rain are enough to flood low-lying stretches, choke drainage systems and bring peak-hour traffic to a standstill.

Weather experts believe the eastern parts of Delhi-NCR could receive the heaviest rainfall during the current spell.

Independent weather observer Navdeep Dahiya said on X that the region had entered what he described as a "massive rainfall event", with a low-pressure system expected to keep showers active over the next 12 hours. According to his estimates, east Delhi, north Delhi, Noida and Ghaziabad could receive close to 200 mm of rainfall if the system remains in place.

Central, west and south Delhi, along with Faridabad, may receive between 100 mm and 150 mm, while Gurugram is likely to record 70 mm to 150 mm, he said.

Another weather forecasting platform, India Skymet Weather, also predicted a prolonged spell of rain, saying the western quadrant of a low-pressure area moving north of Delhi could trigger heavy showers across the region through Thursday.

While these forecasts come from independent weather trackers, the IMD remains the official agency issuing public weather advisories.

Waterlogging Brings Traffic to a Crawl

Heavy rain has already disrupted normal life across Delhi-NCR.

In Gurugram, several roads were submerged, slowing traffic during the morning rush hour. Some private companies advised employees to work from home as commuting became increasingly difficult.

Traffic moved slowly on stretches of the Delhi-Jaipur Highway service lane near Narsinghpur, besides Basai, Kadipur and Sohna Road. Several vehicles reportedly broke down after entering waterlogged roads.

Flooding was also reported from Sectors 31 and 39, Sheetla Mata Mandir Road, Sector 10A, Pataudi Road, Basai Road, Kadipur and Umang Bhardwaj Chowk.

Civic agencies, including the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram, the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority and the police, deployed teams to drain flooded roads and regulate traffic.

In Delhi, commuters faced delays on several arterial roads and flyovers where waterlogging routinely causes bottlenecks during heavy rain.

Rainfall Recorded So Far

According to IMD data, Mehrauli recorded 83 mm of rainfall between 8.30 am on July 8 and 6 am on July 9, followed by Lodi Road (79 mm), Pusa (73 mm), Chhatarpur (68 mm), Mayur Vihar (66 mm) and Janakpuri (62 mm).

Among NCR districts, Ghaziabad's Kamla Nehru Nagar received 143 mm, while Hindon recorded 53 mm.

Although Gurugram recorded comparatively lower rainfall-27 mm at North CAP University and 21 mm at KVK-the city's drainage network once again struggled to cope, resulting in widespread flooding at several locations.