NEW DELHI: After nearly three weeks of a monsoon lull, a strong weather system has developed over northern, central and eastern India, bringing relief from hot and humid conditions.
The system is expected to trigger widespread heavy rainfall across large parts of the country, including northwest India, over the next five days, with rain likely to intensify from July 28. The IMD has issued flash flood warnings for Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand.
The season’s first monsoon depression over the Bay of Bengal is expected to move inland through the West Bengal-North Odisha coast. Combined with the monsoon trough stretching across northern India, it is likely to bring heavy to very heavy rain over Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Jharkhand, western India and Kerala. Rainfall is also expected to increase across the Indo-Gangetic plains, including Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.
Large parts of north, central and south India have remained dry since July 9. By July 27, the country’s cumulative rainfall deficit stood at 16.2 per cent below the long-term average recorded since the monsoon arrived on June 4. Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi have been among the worst-hit regions.
The IMD has warned that heavy rain over the Himalayan region could trigger floods and landslides during the next five days. It has forecast a moderate flash flood risk over Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand in the next 24 hours.
Authorities have advised people living in low-lying areas and along rivers to remain alert, avoid travel during intense rainfall, and follow local administration warnings.