New Delhi: Heavy rain lashed parts of the Indian capital in the early hours of Thursday, extending a prolonged wet spell and offering local residents much-needed respite from recent oppressive humidity.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an "Orange Alert" for the city, forecasting significant downpours across the region throughout most of the day.

The persistent rainfall has caused minor waterlogging in several areas, including the New Delhi Railway Station and Munirka, among other localities.

According to the IMD, fairly widespread to widespread rainfall is anticipated across Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, and West Uttar Pradesh until 10 July. A new spell of wet weather is forecast to persist over Northeast Uttar Pradesh until 13 July, whilst East Rajasthan is expected to experience similar conditions on 9 July.

The continuous precipitation is predicted to alleviate the building humidity that residents have been enduring over the past few days. Temperatures hovered around 25.8 degrees Celsius at 2:30 am amidst calm winds.

On Wednesday, a substantial monsoon system advanced across northern India, delivering a welcome break from the sweltering summer heat.

In Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, heavy overnight downpours caused widespread waterlogging, severely disrupting vehicular traffic and pedestrian movement.

Concurrently, intense rainfall was recorded in Rajasthan. In Dungarpur, torrential overnight rain accompanied by thunder and lightning triggered flooding and waterlogging across various neighbourhoods, with water levels exceeding three feet in sections of the old city, including Ghati, Kanera Pol, Mochi Bazar, and Bhoiwada.

With inputs from ANI