Rain, thunderstorms likely in Delhi with 70 km/h wind speed
What's the story
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for Delhi on Friday, predicting rain, thunderstorms, and strong winds of up to 70km/h. The warning was upgraded from a previous yellow alert.
"Residents should be alert and prepared for potentially disruptive weather," the IMD said.
An orange alert is the second-highest warning level and indicates that the weather could cause damage or disruption.
Weather update
Delhi experiences record rainfall, monsoon's early arrival
So far this month, Delhi has recorded 186.4mm of rainfall, the highest for May. The previous record was 165mm in May 2008.
There are also chances of some very light to light rain now, the IMD stated.
"On Thursday, similar rain activity is expected, with the intensity even higher on Friday," an IMD official said.
The southwest monsoon is also arriving earlier than usual this year, having reached Kerala on May 24 and Mumbai on May 26.
Mumbai monsoon
Mumbai faces heavy rainfall, waterlogging issues
Meanwhile, Mumbai is also likely to witness heavy rainfall on Thursday.
The IMD predicted a generally cloudy sky with thunder, lightning and gusty winds. Daytime temperatures are expected to hover between 24 and 31 degrees Celsius.
Santacruz recorded its highest May rainfall since Cyclone Tauktae in 2021 with a total of 324mm while Colaba broke its record for the wettest May day ever recorded there at 279.4mm.
Transport disruption
Flooding disrupts transport in Mumbai, BMC imposes fines
The heavy rains disrupted daily lives as water flooded rail tracks, raods and metros.
Flight services were also affected briefly due to waterlogging at key transport hubs.
On Wednesday, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) fined four mini pumping station operators ₹10 lakh each for failing to activate pumps at flood-prone junctions during the downpour.
Low-lying areas such as King's Circle and Mantralaya were affected by waterlogging, disrupting road traffic and suburban trains.