Torrential rain grounds Uttarakhand as red alert forces school closures across several districts

Districts under red and orange alert

The weather department has issued red and orange alerts for Pauri, Nainital, Udham Singh Nagar, Champawat and Bageshwar districts, warning of heavy to very heavy rain and extremely intense spells in some places. Alongside this, yellow and orange alerts have been issued for Dehradun, Tehri, Haridwar, Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag, Chamoli, Almora and Pithoragarh districts, warning of heavy rain accompanied by lightning. In effect, almost every major district in the state now falls under some level of alert.

Waterlogging and landslides disrupt life in Dehradun

Daily life has been disrupted in the state capital Dehradun amid continuous torrential rain. Several areas including Karligarh, Sahastradhara and Sapera Basti witnessed waterlogging and landslide-like conditions. District Magistrate Ashish Chauhan personally visited the affected areas to assess the situation and directed officials to speed up relief and rescue operations. Meanwhile, the Sahastradhara-Sarona motor road has been closed from both sides due to the heavy rain, causing difficulties in movement.

Schools shut across the hill districts

After the India Meteorological Department issued a red alert for Tehri district for the next 24 hours, the local administration went on full alert. The district magistrate declared a holiday for classes 1 to 12 in all government and private schools in the district as a precaution. In Udham Singh Nagar too, taking note of the weather alert, the district administration declared a holiday in all government and private schools from anganwadi level up to class 12. In Pithoragarh district, an order was issued to keep all schools and anganwadi centres closed given the possibility of heavy rain, with the administration continuously monitoring the weather situation. In Champawat, holidays were declared in all schools and anganwadi centres in view of the persistent bad weather and heavy rain warning, and people have been advised to stay away from rivers, streams and landslide-prone areas. In Chamoli's mountainous areas, heavy rain has been continuing, prompting the administration to keep all government and non-government schools closed there as well.

Administration on high alert, appeal to stay indoors

With red alerts in force for several districts of the state, the entire administration is on high alert. People have been urged to follow the guidelines issued by the weather department and district administration and to avoid stepping out of their homes unnecessarily.

Weather scientists explain the bigger reason behind the rain

According to weather scientists, the cyclonic circulation extends up to 9.6 kilometres above sea level and is tilted southward with height. It is likely to move in a north-northwesterly direction before turning towards the northeast. Under its influence, rain along with snowfall and hailstorms is likely in Uttarakhand on July 10. Because of this continuous rain, temperatures in both the plains and hilly regions of Uttarakhand have dropped sharply by 10 to 12 degrees Celsius, bringing sudden cold into the weather. A warning has been issued for light to moderate rain accompanied by intense spells of thunder and lightning at most places in the Kumaon division and many areas of the Garhwal division. Given the worsening situation, the administration has directed disaster management teams to remain on high alert.

Schools also shut in Dehradun, Haridwar and Nainital among other districts

With the weather department forecasting heavy rain and red alerts, the state government and district administrations have gone on full alert. Keeping student safety in mind, holidays have been declared in schools and anganwadi centres in several major districts of the state on July 10, which falls on a Friday. In the capital Dehradun, given the possibility of heavy rain, the district magistrate has ordered all government, non-government and private schools along with anganwadi centres to remain closed. Along with this, in Haridwar and Nainital districts too, all educational institutions will remain completely closed due to a severe heavy rain warning. Among the hill districts, all schools and anganwadi centres from class 1 to 12 will remain closed in Chamoli. In Rudraprayag and Bageshwar districts as well, given the orange alert for bad weather and heavy rain, district magistrates have issued orders with immediate effect for a school holiday on July 10. The administration has appealed to parents and children to stay safely indoors during the heavy rain and avoid stepping out unnecessarily.

Temperature trends in Dehradun, Pantnagar, Tehri and other major cities

Due to the continuous monsoon rain, temperatures in major cities of Uttarakhand have fallen well below normal. According to the weather department, a sharp drop in maximum temperature has been recorded in the hills. In the capital Dehradun, continuous rain has pushed the maximum temperature down to 23.8 degrees Celsius. In Pantnagar in Udham Singh Nagar, the maximum temperature was recorded at 28.0 degrees Celsius, the highest among the plains areas. In the hill region of Tehri, the minimum temperature was recorded at 14.6 degrees Celsius, while the maximum temperature there hovered around 17.8 degrees Celsius.