The India Meteorological Department on Wednesday night forecast “heavy to very heavy rain” in at least 15 states till Sunday. While the weather agency considers heavy rainfall to be between 64.5 mm and 115.5 mm in 24 hours, very heavy downpour is between 115.6 mm and 204.4 mm.
The IMD said that isolated heavy rainfall will continue over Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh till Friday. The intensity of rain is expected to reduce next week, according to the IMD statement.
Flash floods and landslides were reported in these areas this week. On Wednesday, at least seven people died and 17 were injured in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district after a cloudburst triggered flash floods in a remote village.
About 10 people were reportedly missing in flash floods triggered by a cloudburst in Himachal Pradesh’s Lahaul-Spiti district. In Tozing Nullah in the Udaipur sub-division of Lahaul Spiti district, one person was killed, another was injured, and nine were missing after flash floods on Tuesday night.
The weather agency also predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall over Odisha, gangetic West Bengal, Jharkhand, and Bihar from Wednesday till Friday and over east Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh till Saturday.
These states are under the influence of a cyclonic circulation lying over North Pakistan and Punjab. The western end of the monsoon trough is close to this area.
Heavy to very heavy rainfall is also expected over east Rajasthan and West Madhya Pradesh till August 1. “It [intensity of rainfall] is likely to increase from 30th July,” the IMD said. “Isolated extremely heavy falls are likely over West Madhya Pradesh on 1st August.”
The weather agency also forecast heavy spells of rain with very heavy rain in isolated areas of Konkan, Goa and Maharashtra till Sunday.
Maharashtra is witnessing a heavy downpour that has triggered landslides and floods leading to the death of at least 213 residents till Wednesday, reported The News Minute. Raigad, which is the worst-hit district by the rains, has alone reported 95 fatalities.
Extremely heavy rain have caused flooding or landslides in districts like Raigad, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Satara, Sangli and Kolhapur. As many as 4,35,879 residents have been shifted to safer areas.
Since June 1, India has recorded 416.6mm of rainfall, short by 2% from normal, reported The Indian Express. All states and Union Territories, except Gujarat and Chandigarh, have received very heavy rainfall, according to the newspaper.
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