Heavy rains, hailstorms lash Delhi, traffic jams during rush hour

15 trains delayed with average delay of 2 to 3 hours; Airlines such as Vistara advised passengers to commute accordingly.

New Delhi: Heavy rains lashed parts of the national capital on Tuesday morning as the minimum temperature settled at five notches above normal.

Rains and hailstorms led to traffic congestion in several places across Delhi and visibility was low because of the darkened skies.

Fifteen trains were delayed with an average delay of two to three hours. These include Howrah-New Delhi Poorva Express, Malda-Delhi Junction Farakka Express, Mumbai Amritsar Express and others. The Puri-New Delhi Purushottam Express was late by six hours, Northern Railways said.

As traffic jams were reported in the city, airlines such as Vistara advised passengers to travel accordingly. "Due to rain, there is traffic congestion enroute to Delhi airport road. Customers are advised to allow more time for their journey to the airport," they tweeted.

According to a MeT official, the Safdarjung observatory recorded 14.8 mm rainfall, Palam observatory 22.8 mm rainfall, Lodhi road observatory 15 mm rainfall and Aya Nagar observatory recorded 26.1 mm rainfall.

"The minimum temperature was recorded at 12.5 degrees Celsius, five notches above normal, while the maximum temperature settled at 22.6 degrees Celsius, a notch above normal," the official said.

The humidity level was recorded at 100 per cent at 8:30 am.

The weatherman has predicted rainfall throughout the day with the mercury settling at 19 degrees Celsius.