IMD issues 'red alert' in Uttarakhand for heavy rainfall in the next two days

• According to IMD, the monsoon trough is likely to gradually shift northwards, along the foothills of the Himalayas, during next 24 hours, while the southwesterly and southerly winds from the Arabian Sea will converge over northwest India from July 9 onwards.
• These conditions will collectively cause fairly widespread to widespread rainfall, with isolated heavy to very heavy falls, over the Western Himalayan Region and parts of northwest Indian plains.
• The state of Uttarakhand, in particular, will experience isolated extremely heavy falls on Saturday and Sunday, July 11-12.

The India Meterological Department has issued a red alert in Uttarakhand warning heavy rainfall over the weekend — that may trigger landslide in some areas of the state.

According to IMD, the monsoon trough is likely to gradually shift northwards, along the foothills of the Himalayas, during next 24 hours, while the southwesterly and southerly winds from the Arabian Sea will converge over northwest India from July 9 onwards.

These conditions will collectively cause fairly widespread to widespread rainfall, with isolated heavy to very heavy falls, over the Western Himalayan Region and parts of northwest Indian plains.

The state of Uttarakhand, in particular, will experience isolated extremely heavy falls on Saturday and Sunday, July 11-12.

In view of this forecast, IMD’s regional met centre in New Delhi has issued a red warning across the state over the weekend, instructing its residents to “take action” and protect themselves from the rough weather.

As per IMD’s met centre in Dehradun, Thursday will see heavy rainfall occur at isolated places in Dehradun, Pauri and Nainital districts, the conditions will intensify on Friday, with heavy to very heavy showers likely over isolated places in Dehradun, Haridwar, Pauri, Nainital and Udham Singh Nagar districts. Tehri, Uttarkashi, Almora and Champawat will also witness heavy precipitation.

Over the weekend, heavy to very heavy rains will lash isolated places in Nainital, Champwat and Udham Singh Nagar districts, while heavy showers are expected to occur at isolated places in Dehradun, Tehri, Pauri, Haridwar, Uttarkashi and Almora.

IMD Dehradun adds that over the past week or so, Uttarakhand has collectively received above-normal rainfall worth 115 mm. Heavy rains have triggered landslides in the region; debris from the mountains blocked the Badrinath and Yamunotri highways for a few hours on Wednesday.

In Uttarkashi district, one person died in a car accident on the Mando-Tekla motorway late on Tuesday night after losing control of his car and falling into a 100-meter-deep gorge.

In Dwarahat area of Almora district, a mother and her two minor daughters also lost their lives after their two-storey house collapsed due to incessant rains on Tuesday night.

Further, wet weather has caused rivers like Gaula, Sher Nala, Surya Nala in the Kumaon region to swell up. However, public sound systems are in place in sensitive areas, so as to inform people on a mass scale in case of emergencies.

Since the beginning of June, Uttarakhand has collectively recorded normal precipitation at 262.8 mm. The district of Bageshwar has particularly received ‘large excess’ rainfall at 554 mm, while Pithoragarh (464.5 mm), Udham Singh Nagar (360.4 mm) and Chamoli (191.6 mm) have all registered ‘excess’ showers as compared to their respective long-term average figures. The precipitation in a majority of the remaining districts has been more or less normal.

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