Intermittent rains lash Delhi as more downpours expected in coming days

     New Delhi, Sep 1 (PTI) Intermittent rains lashed Delhi through Monday, with the weather department warning of more moderate to heavy downpours in the coming days.
     This alert comes even as Gurugram, part of Delhi-NCR, asked schools and offices to operate in online mode on Tuesday, citing heavy downpour on Monday and the forecast of heavy to very heavy rainfall for September 2.
     "Today, from 3 pm to 7 pm, heavy rainfall of over 100 mm has been recorded in Gurugram City. Indian Meteorological Department in its forecast has issued Orange Alert: Heavy to very Heavy rainfall on 02-09-2025," an advisory issued by District Disaster Management Authority, Gurugram.
     "In view of the above forecast, all Corporate offices and Private institutions in the district are advised to guide their employees to work from home; and all schools in the district are advised to conduct Online classes on 02-09-2025," it added.
     Additionally, due to three hours of continuous rain in Gurugram, major traffic disruptions were witnessed on the Delhi-Jaipur highway.
    A huge jam on IFFCO Chowk flyover from Sirhaul border to Manesar was reported. The maximum rainfall of 85 mm was recorded in the Wazirabad area of the district, resulting in waterlogging in many places.
     Congress MP Randip Singh Surjewala slammed the BJP's "triple engine model" after the visuals of the traffic jam began circulating on social media.
     "2 hours of rain = 20 KMs of Gurgaon Jam! As CM Nayab Saini only flies in “State Helicopter” and doesn’t travel on “road”, this is a “helicopter shot” of Highway in Gurgaon just now,"      Congress MP Randip Singh Surjewala said on X.
    "This is BJP’s “triple engine model” of Millenium City Urban development - Central Govt-State Govt-Gurgaon Municipal Corporation," his post, accompanied with a 40-second clip of purportedly of the said highway, read.
     Meanwhile, in Delhi, till 5.30 pm, Safdarjung had recorded 18.6 mm of rainfall, while Palam reported 30.8 mm, Aya Nagar 48.9 mm and Lodhi Road 16.2 mm, the IMD said.
     The Palam airport reported the lowest visibility of 800 metres about 3 pm on September 1 due to an intense spell of rain, the IMD said. The visibility, which was 2,500 metres at 2.30 pm, dropped to 800 metres by 3 pm.
     Mahesh Palawat, vice president (meteorology and climate change) at private weather forecaster Skymet, said the city will continue to see on-and-off rain till September 5.
     This spell is being driven both by the monsoon and an unusually active western disturbance, which has been causing heavy rainfall in the Himalayan states and influencing weather in Delhi as well, he said.
     The intermittent rains in the national capital also kept the maximum temperature below average — 30.8 degrees Celsius, 3.7 notches below normal. The minimum settled at 23.7 degrees Celsius, 2.8 degrees below normal, according to the weather department.
     The air quality was recorded in the 'satisfactory' category at 4 pm on Monday, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) reading of 60, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data showed.
     The humidity level fluctuated between 90 and 71 per cent during the day, the Met said.
     For Tuesday, the weather department has forecast a cloudy sky with moderate rain. The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to be around 31 and 22 degrees Celsius, respectively.
     According to the CPCB, an AQI between zero and 50 is considered 'good', 51 and 100 'satisfactory', 101 and 200 'moderate', 201 and 300 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', and 401 and 500 'severe'.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)