NEW DELHI: Heavy rain battered Delhi-NCR, flooding roads, disrupting flight operations and damaging vehicles after a tree collapsed on Tuesday.In a rain-related incident, two cars were damaged after a large tree collapsed in Delhi’s East of Kailash area near the National Heart Institute. The adverse weather also disrupted flight operations in the national capital, with airlines issuing travel advisories warning passengers of possible delays and urging them to check the status of their flights before leaving for the airport. Carriers also advised travellers to plan their journeys in advance, as rain-induced traffic congestion could lead to longer travel times to the airport. According to the IMD, Delhi-NCR is expected to experience cloudy skies along with spells of light to moderate rain, thunderstorms and strong winds over the coming days. Temperatures are likely to remain between 32 and 37 degrees Celsius during this period. The district-wise forecast issued by the Urban Meteorological Services for Delhi-NCR on July 7 indicates similar weather conditions across all 15 districts, including North, South, New, Central, East, West, North West, North East, South West, South East Delhi and Shahdara, as well as NCR districts such as Faridabad, Gurugram, Noida and Ghaziabad.Yellow alert till July 9 The IMD has issued a ‘Yellow’ warning for July 7, 8 and 9. For July 7, the weather department has forecast a generally cloudy sky with “a spell of very light to light rain at many places with moderate rain at isolated places” accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning and strong winds of 30-40 kmph, gusting up to 50 kmph during the afternoon. Another spell of rain is expected during the night. Similar weather conditions are likely on July 8, with light rain, thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds expected in the afternoon. On July 9, the IMD has forecast light to moderate rain at isolated places along with thunderstorms and strong winds during the morning and forenoon, followed by another spell of very light to light rain at night. The warning level is set to be reduced to ‘Green – No Warning’ on July 10 and 11. However, a generally cloudy sky with the possibility of very light to light rain, thunderstorms and lightning during the forenoon or afternoon is still expected on both days. The IMD has classified the probability of rainfall during the five-day period as ‘Likely’, indicating a 25-50 per cent chance of occurrence. The forecast also extends to adjoining NCR areas, including Panipat, Meerut, Noida, Faridabad, Rewari, Alwar and Gurugram. As per IMD definitions, ‘light rainfall’ refers to precipitation between 2.5 mm and 15.5 mm in a 24-hour period. Residents have been advised to remain cautious due to the possibility of lightning strikes and gusty winds over the next three days.Monsoon advances further across North India Meanwhile, the Southwest Monsoon advanced further into parts of Gujarat, Rajasthan and Haryana on Tuesday. The IMD said conditions remain favourable for the monsoon to cover the remaining parts of the North Arabian Sea, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and the rest of the country within the next two to three days. The weather agency has warned of extremely heavy rainfall at isolated locations over Konkan, Madhya Maharashtra and Gujarat on July 7, and over Kerala and Karnataka on Tuesday. Similar conditions are expected over Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim on July 8. Several regions recorded intense rainfall during the past 24 hours. Lonavala in Madhya Maharashtra received 53 cm of rain, followed by Wada in Palghar district with 43 cm and Silvassa in Dadra and Nagar Haveli with 27 cm. The IMD has also forecast widespread rainfall across Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and Punjab between July 7 and 9, with isolated heavy rainfall likely during the period. Heavy showers are also expected in parts of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Additionally, moderate flash flood risks have been identified in parts of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa and coastal Karnataka, including Mumbai, Palghar, Pune, Satara and Kolhapur. Rescue agencies and local administrations have been advised to remain prepared in vulnerable areas.(With Agency Inputs)
