Heavy Rain Lashes Delhi: Flights Diverted and Delayed at IGI Airport
Heavy rains lashed Delhi on Friday, September 5, 2026, triggering a red alert from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and severe waterlogging at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA).
Monsoon Deluge Stalls Delhi Transit Networks and Airport Operations
The intense downpour severely compromised infrastructure across the capital region. According to data published by The Indian Express, Palam recorded the highest rainfall in Delhi at 75.6 mm by late afternoon. Naraina registered 54 mm, Janakpuri recorded 48.5 mm, Lodhi Road saw 34.6 mm, and Safdarjung logged 32.6 mm. Neighboring Gurgaon recorded 44.5 mm of precipitation at one of its local weather stations.
The resulting accumulation of water inundated crucial municipal pathways. Waterlogging paralyzed traffic around Terminal 3 and the underpass linking the airport to Vasant Kunj. Other major transit nodes, including Mahipalpur, Mehrauli, Connaught Place, ITO, Mathura Road, Sadar Bazar, Kamla Nagar, and the underpasses at Pul Prahladpur, Zakhira, and Minto Bridge, faced major disruptions.
Flight Diversions and Passenger Impact at IGIA
As the country’s busiest aviation hub handling more than 1,300 daily flight movements, IGIA bore the brunt of the storm. Five aircraft were redirected to Jaipur, four to Lucknow, and one each to Ahmedabad and Chandigarh. Flight tracking data via Flightradar24 indicated that over 400 flights suffered delays throughout the day.
Major carriers responded promptly to the operational crisis. “Bad weather over Delhi has impacted flight schedules. We are closely monitoring the weather and doing our best to get you where you need to be, safely and smoothly,” IndiGo stated in a public travel advisory. The airport operator, GMR, noted via social media that ground teams were actively coordinating with stakeholders to manage the passenger flow.
Meteorological Drivers and Regional Forecasts
The sudden intensification of weather was driven by a well-marked low-pressure area lingering over central northern Madhya Pradesh and adjoining Uttar Pradesh. This system converged with an active monsoon trough passing through the region. The India Meteorological Department noted that a fresh Western Disturbance also influenced upper-level atmospheric patterns across North India.
Palam airport registered a sharp squall between 3:37 pm and 3:39 pm, with wind speeds peaking at 76 kmph while visibility plummeted to 600 meters. Following the red alert on Friday, the IMD revised its warning to a yellow alert for Saturday, anticipating intermittent light to moderate rainfall. Temperatures are projected to hover between a maximum of 29 to 31 degrees Celsius and a minimum of 24 to 26 degrees Celsius, with conditions expected to stabilize heading into Sunday.