IMD issues yellow alert for Delhi today, red alerts across multiple states

The IMD issued 'red alerts' for Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and other states as rains continue to disrupt normal life, triggering floods, landslides and flight delays

Delhi began September with a pleasant morning as rains returned to the city on August 31. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a ‘yellow alert’ for the national capital, forecasting generally cloudy skies with one or two spells of light to moderate rain or thundershowers at most places, and heavy rain at isolated locations during the day. 

 

The maximum temperature in the city is likely to stay below normal, ranging between 29 and 31 degrees Celsius, while the minimum will hover around 22 to 24 degrees Celsius. 

Delhi records wettest August in 15 yrs

The city recorded its wettest August in the past 15 years. On August 31, Delhi saw an appreciable fall of 2–3 degrees Celsius in maximum temperature while minimum temperatures remained steady. Minimums hovered between 23–25 degrees Celsius and maximums between 30–32 degrees Celsius. Both were below normal, with maximum temperatures remaining lower by 2–5 degrees Celsius. Easterly winds prevailed at speeds of up to 15 kmph.

 

 

The air quality in the national capital remained in the ‘satisfactory’ category on Monday. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) reported an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 60 at 8 am.

Click on the link below to know the #AQI of 215 cities in the country.https://t.co/KpDyt9Eyz5#SameerApp #CPCB #AQIUpdate @byadavbjp @KVSinghMPGonda @moefcc @mygovindia @PIB_India pic.twitter.com/aeTz5VxDCE

— Central Pollution Control Board (@CPCB_OFFICIAL) August 31, 2025

Red alerts issued as rains wreak havoc

The IMD has issued a ‘red nowcast warning’ for heavy rainfall exceeding 15 mm per hour with thunderstorms in Punjab’s Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Nawanshahr and Patiala districts, valid until 8.30 am Monday. An ‘orange warning’ has been issued for nearby areas. 

 

In Himachal Pradesh, all government and private schools in Shimla and Bilaspur districts have been shut as the state braces for very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall until Tuesday. The state has already received 72 per cent excess rain in August, resulting in 91 flash floods, 45 cloudbursts and 95 major landslides since June 20, causing losses worth ₹3,056 crore and 320 deaths. In Uttarakhand, a rain-triggered landslide blocked tunnels of a power project in Pithoragarh, trapping 11 people.

Heavy rain forces flight delays in Chennai

Chennai received intense rain on Sunday night, with a cloudburst over the Manali area. The downpour between 10 pm and midnight led to waterlogging in several parts of North Chennai. Some flights scheduled to land at Chennai airport were diverted to Bengaluru due to the bad weather.

Forecast of above-seasonal rainfall in Sept

India recorded 743.1 mm of rainfall between June 1 and August 31, about 6 per cent above the long-period average of 700.7 mm. June saw 9 per cent above-normal rainfall, July 5 per cent above normal and August 5.2 per cent above normal.

 

The IMD projects that September rainfall will be more than 109 per cent of the long-period average of 167.9 mm. While above-normal rains are likely across much of the country, the IMD has warned of landslides and flash floods in Uttarakhand and potential disruption in south Haryana, Delhi and north Rajasthan.