Monsoon rain has begun wreaking havoc across large parts of the country. Floodwaters in Assam have upended the lives of lakhs of people, while landslides continue to strike hill states one after another. The India Meteorological Department has now issued a fresh alert for heavy to very heavy rain over the coming days in several states, along with the possibility of strong winds and lightning at many places. The warnings span both the plains and the hill states, underlining how widespread this spell of the monsoon has turned.
Yellow alert for Delhi-NCR as thunderstorms loom
The IMD has issued a yellow alert for the national capital Delhi and its surrounding areas from 30 July to 3 August. Heavy rain accompanied by lightning and strong winds is expected on 30 July, followed by a spell of light to moderate rain that is likely to continue until 3 August. That should bring some relief from the humidity, but it could also mean waterlogging and traffic snarls for residents of Delhi-NCR.
Monsoon turns active across Uttar Pradesh from 30 July
The monsoon has become fully active across Uttar Pradesh from 30 July. Western UP districts such as Muzaffarnagar, Saharanpur, Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Aligarh, Agra and Bareilly are likely to see heavy rain on 30 and 31 July. Eastern UP cities including Lucknow, Gorakhpur, Varanasi and Prayagraj are expected to face a fresh spell of heavy rain between 2 and 4 August. In effect, the entire state looks set for close to a week of continuous rain.
Bihar and Rajasthan also under a heavy rain warning
- Parts of Bihar may see light to moderate rain today, with heavy rain expected to begin in several districts from 31 July.
- Rajasthan has been warned of moderate to heavy, and extremely heavy rain in places, between 30 July and 2 August.
Both states have already seen scattered monsoon showers through July, and this warning points to the wet spell intensifying over the next few days, raising the risk of waterlogging in low-lying areas and rising river levels.
Char Dham Yatra halted in Uttarakhand as Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir stay on alert
The situation is most worrying in the hill states. Continuous heavy rain and landslides in Uttarakhand have badly disrupted the Char Dham Yatra, forcing the administration to suspend it. The IMD says widespread rain is likely to continue across the state from 30 July to 4 August.
In Himachal Pradesh, most districts including Shimla, Mandi, Kullu, Kangra, Chamba, Una, Hamirpur, Bilaspur, Solan, Sirmaur, Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti are expected to receive heavy rain on 30 and 31 July. Meanwhile, several parts of Jammu and Kashmir will see spells of rain from 30 July to 4 August, with thunderstorms likely to add to the disruption during this period.
Taken together, the outlook suggests little relief before the first week of August, with the alerts stacking up from the capital right through the plains and into the hills.
