Cloudburst Submerges Hyderabad Streets

The storm, which began forming in the western city around 5.45 pm, rapidly gained intensity. Dark clouds rolled in swiftly, followed by strong winds and a downpour. Nallakunta and some areas witnessed a brief hailstorm.

Neighbourhoods including Gachibowli, Nanakramguda, Manikonda, Narsingi, Bandlaguda, and Rajendranagar were among the first to be hit. Within minutes, the storm spread across the city, battering Shaikpet, Kokapet, Nizampet, Hitec City and eventually reaching north-eastern localities such as Alwal, Trimulgherry, Karkhana, Sainikpuri, and ECIL. The weather system extended further east and south, lashing Malakpet, Chaderghat, Saidabad, Santoshnagar, Champapet, Saroornagar, LB Nagar, and Kothapet. Central areas like Ameerpet, Somajiguda, Paradise, and the CTC flyover.

According to the Telangana Development Planning Society, the highest recorded rainfall in the city was 80.5 mm at the Owaisi Community Hall in Kanchanbagh (Bandlaguda), followed by Rooplal Bazaar Community Hall in Bahadurpura, and Rein Bazaar, Yakutpura. Rainfall exceeding 60 mm was recorded in more than eight locations, with many others reporting over 50 mm.

The impact was most visible on the roads, where vehicles were seen wading through knee-deep water. Motorists faced a harrowing time navigating submerged streets and dodging fallen trees and debris. “The roads look like rivers,” one resident complained on social media, as videos of waterlogged lanes and flooded manholes began circulating widely. The evening rush hour only worsened the chaos, with commuters stuck in traffic for hours across key intersections and office-goers struggling to return home.

Power supply disruptions were also reported in many parts. Localities like Khairatabad and Saidabad, which received between 36 mm and 44 mm of rain, also experienced outages and signal failures.

The GHMC and its Disaster Response Force (DRF) teams were quickly pressed into service to clear debris and restore order. Hyderabad Revenue and Disaster Management Authority said it had received at least 48 tree-fall complaints from across the city. Areas like Saroornagar Police Station, Kukatpally, Vijayanagar Colony, Darussalam, High Court Road, BN Reddy Nagar, Falaknuma, Sultan Bazaar, Kachiguda, Sindhi Colony and Methodist Colony reported collapsed trees. In some places, such as near the Madina Building close to the High Court, fallen trees led to major traffic jams.

The DRF staff were seen working through the evening, clearing fallen branches and pumping out water from flooded spots in Yerragadda, Raj Bhavan Road, Shilparamam, Pragathi Bhavan, and low-lying areas. GHMC officials confirmed that teams were prioritising the removal of obstructions on major roads to minimise further traffic disruption.

The IMD has issued a yellow alert for Hyderabad and 16 neighbouring districts, warning of thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds over the next 3-4 days. Winds reaching 50 km/h are expected in isolated areas, along with the risk of waterlogging, lightning-induced power cuts, and damage to infrastructure.

Friday’s storm was attributed to a developing weather system drawing moisture from the southern Bay of Bengal, which has led to increased atmospheric instability. While the rain brought brief relief from the heat, meteorologists warned that daytime temperatures could still climb to around 40°C in the coming week.