Heavy rainfall lashed Delhi on Thursday morning, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) raising its alert from yellow to red for the day.

Early morning visuals showed an overcast sky and steady downpour across Delhi, Noida, and Gurugram. The showers reduced visibility and left several roads waterlogged, causing traffic snarls and making the morning commute difficult for motorists and office-goers.

The fresh spell comes just two days after heavy rains on Tuesday triggered flight delays and cancellations.

According to the IMD, light to moderate rain is expected at most locations, with moderate to heavy showers at isolated spots in Delhi and NCR over the next two to three hours.

In its 5:55 a.m. bulletin, the department’s nowcast map indicated moderate to intense rainfall over Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, north Madhya Pradesh, and west Uttar Pradesh in the coming hours.

For Uttar Pradesh, the IMD has issued an orange alert for several northern districts, including Bareilly, Lakhimpur, Pilibhit, Shahjahanpur, Bahraich, Sitapur, Shravasti, Balrampur, Siddharthnagar, Gonda, and Maharajganj. Rain or thundershowers are likely at most places in western UP and a few areas in the east, with intensity expected to ease from August 15.

The IMD has also warned of thunderstorms with lightning at isolated locations.

Elsewhere, monsoon activity has intensified across the country. Extremely heavy rain is likely in parts of Uttarakhand, while Himachal Pradesh is expected to see heavy to very heavy showers. Jammu & Kashmir and Haryana are also set to receive heavy rainfall, with gusty winds of 30–40 kmph forecast in Jammu & Kashmir.

(With inputs from IANS)