Delhi endures its wettest first week of August in 16 years amid floods
Delhi experienced its heaviest rainfall for the first week of August in over a decade, prompting a yellow alert and widespread flooding.
Rainfall totals at Delhi's Safdarjung station reached 127 mm in the first week of August, marking the wettest such period in at least 16 years. The deluge produced up to two feet of water on roads like MB Road, inundated the Okhla underpass, and left commuters stranded on the DND Flyway and Gurgaon expressways. Nine incidents of house or wall collapse and a minimum of 16 fallen trees were reported across the city.
The India Meteorological Department issued a yellow alert for Saturday, forecasting light-to-moderate showers before a tapering off of rain from Sunday onward. Temperatures fell to a maximum of 27.5 °C, about seven degrees below normal, while the air-quality index stayed at a satisfactory 63 for the eighth consecutive day.
Why it matters
The extreme rain tests Delhi's infrastructure, disrupts travel and highlights climate-related urban challenges.
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