Patchy monsoon persists as IMD warns of heavy rain in Northeast, drought elsewhere | Today’s news
NEW DELHI: India is headed for another patchy stretch of the monsoon, with heavy to very heavy rain continuing over northeast and parts of eastern India, while much of northwest, central and peninsular India is expected to remain relatively dry in the coming days, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
The IMD has predicted isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall over Northeast, West Bengal and Bihar during the next two to three days. East Uttar Pradesh is also likely to receive heavy rains in the next four to five days.
The warning follows extremely heavy rainfall of 21 cm or more in Meghalaya and very heavy rainfall of 12-20 cm in eastern Uttar Pradesh on 11 July. Heavy rain was also recorded in Uttarakhand, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Bihar, while thunderstorms with gusty winds of up to 80 kmph lashed parts of Sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Punjab and Kutch.
The Met office has also issued a low to moderate flash flood risk for several districts in Assam and Meghalaya, including East Khasi Hills, East Garo Hills, West Khasi Hills, Cachar and Jaintia Hills, warning that saturated soil could trigger surface runoff and flooding in low-lying areas during the next 24 hours.
In North India, widespread rainfall is expected over Uttarakhand till 18 July and over Himachal Pradesh during 17-18. july Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan are likely to see isolated to scattered showers during the week.
Rainfall is expected over central India with isolated heavy showers over Chhattisgarh during July 14-15. In West India, scattered rain is likely over Gujarat, Madhya Maharashtra and Saurashtra & Kutch regions, while rainfall over Konkan and Goa is expected to intensify during 15-18. july
Looking ahead, the IMD expects widespread rainfall to persist over northeast, eastern India and the western Himalayan region till mid-July. In contrast, rainfall over large parts of northwest India, central India and the southern peninsula is expected to remain below normal.
The IMD has forecast sub-normal rainfall across the country till July 15, with rainfall expected to remain slightly below normal during July 16-22. However, Kerala, parts of eastern and central India and the Himalayan foothills are expected to experience above normal rainfall during the week of July 16-22.
