Weather
IMD flags heavy rain, thunderstorm risk in 15 states
The IMD has issued a heavy rain and thunderstorm alert for 15 states including West Bengal, Bihar, Uttarakhand and the northeast, with wind speeds up to 70 kmph and landslide risk in hill states.
The India Meteorological Department has flagged a heavy rain and thunderstorm risk across 15 states in its latest warning.
The states under alert include Bihar, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Assam, Meghalaya, Odisha, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, and parts of eastern Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
Wind speeds of up to 70 kmph are expected, with hill states including Himachal Pradesh facing an increased chance of landslides.
The IMD noted that river levels are rising rapidly in many of the alerted states, a factor that could add to flooding risk in the coming days.
Hilly states including Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu & Kashmir face an elevated risk of landslides and flash floods as rivers in several states are rising rapidly.
Southern India is expected to see comparatively subdued weather activity during this spell, with only isolated showers forecast rather than the widespread rain seen elsewhere.
The northeastern states of Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Assam and Meghalaya are all included in the alert, reflecting a broad band of monsoon activity stretching across the region.
Authorities in low-lying and hill-state districts have been advised to stay alert for waterlogging, landslides and possible disruption to road and rail traffic during the alert period.
The IMD’s warning system uses colour-coded alerts, with the current advisory urging residents in the affected states to exercise caution given the combination of heavy rain and strong winds.
A low-pressure area over southwest Uttar Pradesh and surrounding areas is expected to bring heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places in Uttarakhand and western Uttar Pradesh.
West Bengal is under a very heavy rain warning, with widespread rainfall expected across the Gangetic plains of the state from September 7 to 10.
Jharkhand is likely to see widespread rainfall from September 8 to 11, while Odisha’s spell is expected between September 10 and 12, according to the IMD’s regional outlook.
Monsoon clouds over Bengal, India, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0