Rain, thunderstorms cause 49 flight diversions at Delhi airport, widespread damage in Kerala

Heavy rains and thunderstorms disrupted flight operations in the national capital overnight, forcing the diversion of 49 flights, including 17 international services, while early monsoon rains caused widespread damage to homes and crops, power outages and waterlogging on roads in Kerala.

Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, the country’s busiest, was hit by severe weather late Saturday, with wind gusts reaching up to 82 kph and more than 81 mm of rain falling between 11:30 pm and 5:30 am, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Flight tracking website Flightradar24 showed over 180 flights delayed, and some cancelled, due to the conditions.

Waterlogging was reported at Terminal 3, and visuals shared on social media showed submerged vehicles in parts of Delhi, including the Delhi Cantonment and Minto Road underpasses. Key areas such as ITO, Dhaula Kuan, and Chanakyapuri experienced partial flooding.

Budget airline IndiGo said in a post on social media platform X at 3:59 am that adverse weather led to “temporary disruptions in flight operations.”

It later said flight movements had resumed as skies cleared over the city.

The IMD had issued a red alert on Saturday night, warning of thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds.

In Kerala, the monsoon arrived eight days ahead of schedule, the earliest onset since 2009. The weather triggered widespread damage across the state, uprooting trees and electric poles, damaging homes and vehicles, and disrupting the power supply in many areas.

Roads were inundated in both urban and rural regions as heavy rains continued through Saturday.

State Revenue Minister K. Rajan said authorities were prepared to open over 3,000 relief camps to accommodate more than 500,000 people, if needed.

The IMD issued red alerts in two districts and orange alerts in the rest of Kerala on Saturday, extending warnings through Monday, with 11 districts placed under red alert for that day.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the state would remain on high alert for a week. “A state-level review meeting has been convened and instructions have been given to complete the rain-related preparations immediately,” he said in a Facebook post.