Delhi AQI Index: Delhi recorded its cleanest air in nearly three years on Thursday after heavy rainfall significantly improved air quality across the national capital. The Air Quality Index (AQI) dropped to 48 at 4 pm, placing it in the 'good' category, compared with 122 ('moderate') recorded on Wednesday.

#Delhi records its lowest daily average #AQI of 2026, clocking 48 at 4 PM today, marking the first ‘Good’ AQI day (0–50) of the year.

Delhi recorded its last ‘Good’ AQI day on 10th September 2023, when the daily average AQI stood at 45.
Contd. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/v0RaB0BZsY

— Commission for Air Quality Management (@CAQM_Official) July 9, 2026

While the showers brought a sharp improvement in air quality, they also caused widespread disruption across the city. Several areas were inundated due to severe waterlogging, prompting the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to issue a red alert for more rain, thunderstorms and lightning.

Heavy Rain Across Delhi

According to the IMD, Safdarjung, Delhi's base weather station, recorded 72.6 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours ending at 8.30 am. Other stations also received substantial rainfall, including Lodhi Road (80.2 mm), Ridge (77.8 mm), Palam (63 mm) and Ayanagar (57.4 mm).

The intense rainfall left several parts of the city waterlogged, affecting normal life and disrupting traffic. Areas including Vikas Marg, East Delhi, New Delhi Railway Station, Munirka, Sadar Bazar and Dwarka witnessed significant flooding.

Waterlogging Disrupts Traffic

Traffic movement remained severely affected, particularly on the Delhi-Noida Expressway, where long queues of vehicles were reported as roads remained submerged. Commuters also shared visuals of flooded streets and traffic snarls on social media.

The Delhi Fire Service said traffic was also disrupted on Raja Dhir Singh Marg after two trees were uprooted during the rain. One tree fell near the ISKCON Temple, while another collapsed outside the National Heart Institute in East of Kailash.

Why Did Delhi Receive Heavy Rain?

Weather experts attributed the prolonged spell of rain to the monsoon trough shifting northwards from central India towards the Himalayan foothills. According to the IMD, Delhi is likely to continue receiving widespread rainfall until the weather system moves further north, after which relatively drier conditions are expected.