Delhi recorded more than a hundred millimetres of rainfall in one hour, leading to waterlogging in several areas of the national capital and prompting the weather office to issue a 'red' warning.
The National Flash Flood Guidance Bulletin also included Delhi in its list of 'areas of concern', the weather office said.
According to the India Meteorological Department's (IMD) Automatic Weather Station (AWS) network, the Pragati Maidan observatory in central Delhi recorded 112.5 mm of rainfall in one hour.
At least 10 flights that were to land at the Delhi airport were diverted on Wednesday evening due to heavy rains.
An extreme amount of precipitation in a short period, specifically 100 mm of rainfall within an hour, is defined by the IMD as a 'cloud burst'.
There has, however, been no official statement on the situation from weather officials.
Delhi Lt Governor, in a post on X, said he cautioned officers to remain alert in light of the heavy downpour.
'Apart from ensuring minimum inconvenience to people in general, they are advised to specifically address issues at sites prone to waterlogging, including coaching centres,' he said in the post.
Widespread light to moderate rainfall is likely over Delhi during the next two hours, the IMD said in a nowcast.
Furthermore, thunderstorms with lightning and surface winds reaching speeds of 50 kilometres an hour are also likely at isolated places during this period, it added.
The IMD has advised people to remain indoors, secure windows and doors and refrain from unnecessary travel.
It has also issued a 'red' warning, which calls for action and vigilance.
'Seeking safe shelter and avoiding tree cover are recommended to mitigate risks. Stay tuned for further updates as the situation develops,' it said in the advisory.
Multiple areas, including Lutyen's Delhi, Kashmere Gate and Rajinder Nagar, among others, were inundated following the heavy rain.
Visuals from south Delhi's Qutub Minar area showed vehicles wading through waterlogged roads while traffic police personnel tried to manage vehicular movement.
The traffic police have issued alerts about the routes affected and urged people to plan their journeys accordingly.
An official said that at least 10 flights were diverted at the airport after 1930 hours due to bad weather. Of these, eight were diverted to Jaipur and two flights to Lucknow.
On social media platform X, airlines said that flights might get affected due to the bad weather.
Vistara said flight UK998 from Pune to Delhi has been diverted to Lucknow due to bad weather at the Delhi airport.
Flights to and from Delhi may get affected due to bad weather this evening.
"Guests are advised to start early for the airport, as slow traffic and waterlogging may delay movement", Air India said.
SpiceJet said that due to 'bad weather (heavy rain) in Delhi (DEL), all departures/arrivals and their consequential flights may get affected'.
'We have a special announcement straight from the heavenly skies! The rain gods have decided to shower #Delhi with their blessings tonight. As a result, we're expecting heavy rainfall throughout the night,' IndiGo said in a post on X and asked passengers to check the status of their flights.
The national capital on Wednesday recorded a maximum temperature of 37.8 degrees Celsius.
On Tuesday, Delhi recorded its highest maximum temperature for the month this year, with the mercury settling at 39.3 degrees Celsius, five notches above normal.
According to the IMD, the humidity level stood at 63 per cent at 5.30 pm.
