Deep depression may bring extremely heavy rainfall to central, western India: IMD
A dozen states face low-to-moderate flash flood warnings and waterlogging as the weather system moves across Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat, the weather office said.
A DEEP depression over west-central Chhattisgarh and adjoining parts of Vidarbha and southeast Madhya Pradesh is expected to trigger extremely heavy rainfall across parts of central and western India over the next three days, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Thursday.
The weather office forecast isolated extremely heavy rainfall of 21 cm or more over Madhya Maharashtra on 31 July and the Gujarat region on 31 July and 1 August.
The IMD also said monsoon rainfall is likely to remain normal to above-normal over northwest and west-central India over the next three to four days. In northwest India, fairly widespread to widespread rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning and winds of 30-40 kmph, gusting up to 50 kmph, is likely over Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand through 5 August. Similar conditions are expected over Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh during different periods between 31 July and 5 August.
Central India, including Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha and Chhattisgarh, is also expected to witness widespread rainfall with thunderstorms and gusty winds over the coming days, while northeastern states such as Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura are likely to receive widespread rainfall until 5 August.
Flash flood risk
Amid heavy rainfall in these regions, the IMD warned of a low to moderate risk of flash floods in a dozen states over the next 24 hours, with the deep depression over central India expected to trigger intense rainfall, surface runoff and inundation in low-lying areas.
The weather office said watersheds and neighbourhoods of met sub divisions in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur, Tripura, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand face the risk of flash floods until 11.30 am on 31 July.
In central and western India, the alert covers districts in east and west Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha, Madhya Maharashtra, the Gujarat region and southern Rajasthan, where heavy rainfall could lead to rapid runoff and waterlogging in saturated catchments.
In the northeast, districts across Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Mizoram, Tripura and Manipur have also been placed under low to moderate flash flood risk as widespread rainfall continues across the region.
The IMD also issued a similar alert for parts of Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, warning that heavy rain over already saturated soils could cause localized inundation and increased runoff in vulnerable areas.
The weather office advised residents and local authorities in the affected districts to remain alert as heavy rainfall over the next 24 hours may lead to flooding in low-lying areas and along small streams and watersheds.
Downpours in past 24 hours
In the past 24 hours, Chhattisgarh recorded extremely heavy rainfall and several states witnessed heavy to very heavy downpours. The IMD said:
extremely heavy rainfall of 21 cm or more was recorded in parts of Chhattisgarh;
very heavy rainfall, ranging between 12 cm and 20 cm, was reported from Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha, Odisha and Telangana; and
heavy rainfall of 7-11 cm was recorded over Rajasthan, Madhya Maharashtra, Marathwada, Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and south interior Karnataka.
