'There is a lot of traffic congestion. The signals stopped functioning at several places. In the first two to three hours we got 20 complaints,' the traffic official said.

Complaints of traffic jams came from all over the city. Some of the worst hit areas were near the Rajghat and India Gate in central Delhi and Dhaula Kuan, AIIMS flyover and Lajpat Nagar in south Delhi.

Power outages were reported in many areas.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) control room was inundated with complaints of flooding in several residential areas.

'Water logging was reported from Chattarsal Stadium, Model Town, Azadpur Bus Stand, near Munirka and Dwarka,' MCD spokesperson Deep Mathur said.

Trees toppled in east Delhi. A compound wall collapsed in west Delhi's Jahangirpuri.

The first burst of rainfall did not kill the muggy weather but the weather improved later in the evening.

The minimum temperature was recorded at 30.1 degrees Celsius Monday morning, three degrees above the average during this time of year. The maximum was 36.6 degrees Celsius, three notches above the normal.

Rita Joshi, an office-goer, said she was caught unawares by the rains.

'When it started raining, I thought it will be the usual drizzle and will be over soon. However, when I reached my bus stop, I was surprised. The water level on the roads had risen so much that I had to fold up my jeans till my knees,' she said.

Sanjay Sharma, who works in Kirti Nagar in west Delhi, got stuck on the arterial Ring Road on his way home.

'The road was choked and many cars had broken down because of water logging,' he said.