The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall in most parts of north India for next one or two days. In its weather bulletin, the IMD said a western disturbance prevailed over northern India, leading to an intense spell of rain, including Delhi which experienced the season's first heavy rain. The weather agency predicted moderate widespread rainfall with isolated instances of heavy to very heavy rainfall in the Western Himalayan Region including Punjab, Haryana-Chandigarh, Delhi, and Rajasthan for today.
It said Uttar Pradesh may experience isolated extremely heavy rainfall and heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely from today till 12the July. The weather office has also issued a "red" alert for seven Himachal Pradesh districts after landslides and flash floods blocked several roads in Shimla, Sirmaur, Lahaul and Spiti, Chamba and Solan.
In the national capital, IMD predicted moderate to heavy rain today and added that light rain is likely to continue till July 15th. In view of the heavy rains that have lashed the national capital and its adjoining regions, schools across Delhi, Noida, Gurgaon, Ghaziabad and Faridabad will remain shut today. As per IMD, Delhi received 153mm of rain in the 24-hour period marking the highest recorded rainfall in a single day in July since 1982. This figure surpasses the previous record of 169.9 mm of rainfall in a 24- hour period on July 25, 1982.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has also spoken to the lieutenant governor of Delhi and enquired about the situation in the wake of the incessant rains. Meanwhile, the Delhi government issued a flood warning yesterday as Haryana released more than one lakh cusecs of water into the Yamuna river from the Hathnikund barrage.
Down south, Incessant rains pounded many areas of Kerala and Karnataka as well. The IMD has issued a "yellow" alert in four districts of Kerala — Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod.
In the East and Northeast region, the agency predicted moderate rainfall, with isolated instances of heavy to very heavy rainfall in Sub-Himalayan West Bengal including Sikkim, Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, and Manipur over the next five days.
