IMD warns of flash floods in 8 states, 2 union territories

The IMD has warned of flash floods across eight states and two union territories as heavy rain continues to lash large parts of the country.

The alert list includes Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

Chhattisgarh is under the sharpest warning, with isolated areas expected to receive over 204.5mm of rain and districts such as Gaurela, Pendra, Marwahi, Balrampur and Surguja facing extremely heavy rainfall.

Northern Odisha districts including Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Sundargarh and Sambalpur are flagged for flash flood risk, with 40-50 kmph winds expected along the coast.

The alert period runs through September 2 in several states, with Uttarakhand’s warning extending the furthest, through September 8.

Uttarakhand is separately forecast to see very heavy rainfall through September 8, one of the longer alert windows among the affected states.

Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are both under flash flood warnings, adding to the list of hill and northern regions bracing for the current spell.

IMD’s flash flood warnings are typically issued when very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall is expected in a short window, raising the risk of sudden waterlogging, landslides and river-level surges.

Authorities in the affected districts have been advised to remain on alert, particularly in areas prone to landslides or where rivers and streams could rise rapidly during the heaviest spells.

The current alert spans a wide geographic band from the Himalayan foothills in the north to Chhattisgarh and Odisha in central and eastern India, reflecting an active monsoon system moving across the country.

In Chhattisgarh, isolated areas are forecast to receive rainfall exceeding 204.5mm, with high-risk districts including Gaurela, Pendra, Marwahi, Balrampur, Surguja and nine others facing extremely heavy rain.

Northeast India could see 115.6mm to 204.4mm of rainfall in isolated pockets, while northern Odisha is forecast to receive widespread heavy rainfall through the alert period.

NASA Earth Observatory, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.5 (representative monsoon rainfall image)