The southwest monsoon has weakened across most parts of India, with heavy rainfall now largely confined to Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal, and the northeastern states, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
The IMD has issued a red alert for heavy to very heavy rainfall in Uttarakhand. Persistent rain has forced the closure of 120 roads, including three national highways, across the state. In Bihar, a yellow rain alert has been issued for 19 districts, including the capital, Patna.
Meanwhile, rivers in Haryana are in spate, disrupting normal life in several low-lying areas. Water flowing down from the Himalayan foothills in Himachal Pradesh has raised the levels of the Yamuna and Markanda rivers, triggering flood-like conditions in several villages.
The IMD expects rainfall to ease over the next six to seven days across the plains of northwest, west-central, and southern peninsular India. Weather experts say the current lull in monsoon activity is a normal and temporary phase of the season.
As a fresh monsoon system develops over the Bay of Bengal or elsewhere, rainfall is expected to intensify once again. Until then, much of the country is likely to endure several more days of intense heat, rising temperatures, and high humidity, with little immediate relief in sight.
Weather photos from across the country…
Kali river is in spate in Dharchula of Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand.
The new road in Chowk police station area of Bihar’s capital Patna was flooded with knee-deep water.
In Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, heavy rains caused an underpass to fill with 10 feet of water. A horse-carriage driver drowned along with his horse.
In Kurukshetra, the Markanda River flooded village roads. A school bus passes through the flooded water.
Machines and trucks engaged in the 300 MW Lakhwar Hydroelectric Project under construction in Dehradun were buried under the debris from the hill.
Weather forecast for the next 2 days…
July 13
There is a yellow alert for heavy rain in Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Sikkim, Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, and Himachal.
There is no warning in Rajasthan, Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, Western Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Goa, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, and Karnataka.
Humid weather will prevail in Odisha, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry, while winds with speeds of 70 to 80 kmph are expected in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
July 14
There is an orange alert for heavy rain in Bihar, East Uttar Pradesh, Sikkim, Assam, Meghalaya, and Bengal situated in the foothills of the Himalayas.
There is a yellow alert for rain in Jammu and Kashmir, Odisha, Bengal, and other states of the country.
There is a heatwave alert in Rajasthan, western Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat bordering Pakistan, and Andhra Pradesh.
