SRINAGAR: Jammu, the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir, which is facing a flood-like situation due to heavy and incessant rains, received a record-breaking 380 mm of rainfall in 24 hours.
Director MeT Kashmir Dr Mukhtar Ahmed told the TNIE that a record 380 mm rainfall was recorded in Jammu yesterday.
“It has broken the previous record of 270 mm rainfall in Jammu, which was recorded in 1988. It is the highest ever rainfall recorded in 24 hours in Jammu,” he said.
Besides record rainfall in Jammu, Katra experienced 284 mm rainfall followed by 282 mm rainfall in Reasi, 170 mm in Samba, 130 mm rainfall in Dada, 116.5 mm in Kathua, 83.8 mm in Banihal, 57.4 mm in Rajouri and 49 mm in Kishtwar.
Jammu and other parts of the Jammu region experienced incessant and heavy rains for the last few days. The continuous heavy rainfall has caused a flood-like situation in Jammu with houses submerged in water in many low-lying areas and people evacuated to safer places. However, now the situation has eased and water has started to recede in the Chenab river and other water bodies.
Mukhtar said they had issued an orange alert for Jammu on August 23 and sounded red alert on August 25 after incessant rainfall.
“It is the first time that Jammu has witnessed such heavy downpour. This is for the first time in my life that I have seen houses being submerged in rainwater in Jammu city,” said a Jammu resident Naveen Kumar.
Director MeT said the heavy rainfall was caused due to the interaction zone of the Western Disturbance and monsoon.
“The interaction zone between WD and monsoon is not defined. Interaction zone keeps on shifting and where it interacts, it is dangerous,” he said.
The "interaction zone" refers to the region or area where two different weather systems meet or influence each other.
“This interaction often leads to intensified weather activity, such as heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, or even extreme weather events,” Mukhtar said.
Mukhtar said the weather model catches this “interaction zone” but it gets changed every year.