Heavy rain and strong winds lashed Delhi this weekend with several areas suffering power outages as trees were uprooted. The national capital has seen 186.4 mm of rain till May 25 — the wettest month of May since record-keeping began. Several areas were left waterlogged on Sunday as the city received more than 81 mm of rainfall overnight. The storm also disrupted flight operations for several hours with more than a dozen international flights being diverted.
The India Meteorological Department said the city’s primary weather station recorded winds gusting up to 82 kmph and 81.2 mm of rain in six hours — between 11.30 pm and 5.30 am. Temperatures across the city also plummeted by 8 to 10 degrees Celsius in under 90 minutes as the storm raged. The weather department had sounded a red alert for Delhi and nearby areas late last night, warning of strong thunderstorms, rain, and high-speed winds over the next few hours.
According to reports, the rainfall levels reported so far in May 2025 is nearly nine times the monthly average of 21.9 mm. The previous record — 165 mm — was set in 2008.
Power supply disrupted
Power supply was disrupted in many parts of the national capital on Sunday with overnight rain and thunderstorms damaging electrical installations. A spokesperson for Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited told PTI that parts of Bawana, Ghogha village, Sector 25 Rohini, DSIIDC Narela, Sultanpuri, Sector 22 Rohini, Karala, Badli, Siraspur, Avantika, Mangolpuri, RU Block Pitampura and Rithala village were among the affected areas in north Delhi. Officials have indicated that restoration work was taken up on priority and power supply was also temporarily suspended in some areas as a safety measure.
Flight diversions at Delhi Airport
Dozens of flights were affected on Sunday as heavy rain and strong winds led to disruptions in Delhi. According to an update shared by the airport authorities, 49 flights, including 17 international flights, were diverted between 11:30 pm and 4:00 am. Normal services were restored later in the day as the weather improved.
“Due to adverse weather conditions last night, some flights have been impacted. Passengers are advised to check their flight status regularly and stay in touch with airline staff for updates. Our on-ground teams are diligently working with all stakeholders to ensure a seamless and efficient passenger experience,” said a Delhi Airport advisory at 6:50 am on Sunday.
Monsoon advances
According to the IMD bulletin released on Sunday afternoon, “heavy to very heavy rainfall” is likely to continue over Kerala, Karnataka, coastal Maharashtra and Goa over the next seven days. There is also a possibility of “extremely heavy rainfall” over coastal Kerala and the ghat areas of neighbouring Tamil Nadu between May 25 and 26. Similar weather conditions are likely to prevail over the ghat areas of Karnataka till May 27.
“Further advance of southwest monsoon over some more parts of Karnataka, entire Goa, some parts
of Maharashtra and some more parts of Mizoram, some parts of Manipur and Nagaland today. Conditions are favourable for further advance of monsoon into some more parts of Maharashtra, South India and Northeast states,” the weather department added.