Sudden downpours flood Delhi airport and disrupt flight operations
Heavy rainfall battered Delhi and surrounding regions on Friday afternoon, causing severe waterlogging at Indira Gandhi International Airport and forcing multiple flight diversions. Nine incoming flights were rerouted away from the national capital between 3:30 pm and 4:30 pm as sudden thunderstorms halted normal operations. Historically, urban infrastructure in the capital region struggles during late monsoon surges, frequently resulting in rapid surface flooding.
Flight Diversions and Terminal Chaos
Four of these disrupted flights landed safely in Jaipur, another four diverted to Lucknow, and one headed to Ahmedabad. Traffic logs show the Lucknow diversions included QP 1821 from Bengaluru, AI 484 from Ludhiana, AI 2516 from Indore, and AI 2541 from Hyderabad. Water accumulated quickly across the approach roads and forecourt areas of IGI Airport. Officials managed to clear the affected zones shortly after the worst showers passed, deploying staff to restore smooth transit for stranded passengers.
Extreme Weather Metrics at Palam Station
Data from the regional weather center revealed intense precipitation concentrated within a very short window. Palam recorded 72.2 mm of rain between 2:30 pm and 5:30 pm, marking the highest volume in the city for that timeframe. Other neighborhoods also faced significant downpours. Narayana saw 54 mm, Janakpuri recorded 48.5 mm, Lodhi Road hit 34.6 mm, and Safdarjung logged 32.6 mm. Additional local readings included Pusa at 29 mm, Jharoda Kalan at 25 mm, and Ridge at 20 mm. A rapid squall struck the Palam area directly at 3:37 pm, bringing gusty winds up to 76 kmph for two minutes. Local temperatures dropped half a degree to 25.5°C, while humidity spiked from 86 percent to 90 percent.
Ongoing Warnings for Northern States
Meteorologists link this fierce weather to an active low-pressure system currently positioned over northeast Madhya Pradesh. This system continues to pull heavy moisture into central and northern India. Consequently, weather authorities issued a red warning for continued showers across the Haryana-Chandigarh-Delhi region through Saturday, September 5. West Uttar Pradesh remains under similar weather alerts for the weekend. While major arterial routes avoided total gridlock today, residential zones in West Delhi, including Gandhi Market in Sagarpur, faced deep surface flooding. Conditions are expected to ease by Sunday, though light drizzle may persist.
Photo courtesy: ANI
