IMD issues ‘orange’ alert for Delhi, ‘red’ alert in Gujarat amid rainfall
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an ‘orange’ alert for 15 states in northern India on Tuesday and Wednesday amid a forecast of moderate to heavy rainfall.
A ‘red’ alert was also issued for Gujarat as the IMD forecasts extremely heavy rainfall in the state on July 3, after southwest monsoon took over the country this week.
An orange alert was also issued for northeastern states on July 3, with the weather agency predicting isolated heavy rainfall for several areas in northwestern India.
It is expected that moderate to heavy rain will lash Delhi on Wednesday, as the national capital continues to deal with waterlogging in many areas after isolated rains on Tuesday. The Met office this morning predicted moderate to heavy rainfall, accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds.
The orange alert is in place for July 3 in Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, West Bengal, Sikkim, Bihar, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.
Northeastern states are receiving above-normal levels of rainfall over the past week, leading to heavy flooding, landslides and waterlogging in some areas. Rivers in Arunachal Pradesh are now flowing above danger levels, while floods in Assam and Manipur have damaged hundreds of homes.
The weather agency said Tuesday that the southwest monsoon covered the entire country on July 2, six days ahead of schedule, despite making delayed progress in June when the country reeled under the heatwave. The monsoon arrived in Kerala and the northeastern region on May 30, two and six days earlier than usual.
“The southwest monsoon has further advanced into the remaining parts of Rajasthan, Haryana, and Punjab today. Thus, it covered the entire country on July 2, 2024, against the normal date of July 8,” the IMD said in a statement.
India recorded below-normal rainfall levels in mid-June, leading to overall below-normal precipitation in June, with 147.2 mm of rainfall against a normal of 165.3 mm for the month, the seventh lowest since 2001. This is the third consecutive year where southwest monsoon covered the entire country ahead of schedule, said IMD.