Weather Alert: The monsoon had temporarily stalled over the country’s plains, but torrential rains are set to resume this Monday. The Meteorological Department has issued alerts for rain, thunderstorms, and storms across 18 states. Forecasts indicate the possibility of heavy to very heavy rainfall in the northern and eastern parts of the country over the next four days.
Rain Alerts for Specific States
The Meteorological Department has predicted torrential rains in the northern and eastern regions for the coming four days. Alerts have been issued for mountainous states such as Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. Rain alerts are also in place for Punjab, Chandigarh, Haryana, Delhi, and Eastern Uttar Pradesh. Additionally, rainfall is expected in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and West Bengal over the next four days. Specific alerts have also been issued for Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, and Odisha.
Conditions in the Plains
The Meteorological Department has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places in West Bengal and Bihar over the next 2–3 days. Rain accompanied by thunderstorms and showers is expected in parts of Eastern and Western Uttar Pradesh within the next 24 hours. Light rain is predicted for isolated areas in Rajasthan’s Bikaner, Sri Ganganagar, Hanumangarh, and Churu districts on July 14 and 15; an alert for strong, dusty winds has also been issued for Western Rajasthan. No significant change in the maximum temperature is expected in the national capital, Delhi, over the next seven days. Strong surface winds are predicted for Delhi during the day on Monday, with the maximum temperature likely to hover around 37°C and the minimum around 27°C.
Conditions in the Mountains
In the mountains, the situation is dire; cloudbursts are occurring in some areas, while hillsides are cracking and shifting in others. Roads are blocked due to falling boulders. This weather-related calamity has spared no one. Roads, shops, and houses have all been engulfed by the deluge, and this crisis could escalate across 18 states today. Himachal Pradesh has been witnessing incidents of landslides, flash floods, uprooted trees, and blocked roads due to continuous rainfall over the past few days. Meanwhile, the Meteorological Department has issued a ‘Red Alert’ for heavy rainfall in six districts of Himachal Pradesh. A ‘Red Alert’ has also been issued for Uttarakhand, forecasting heavy to very heavy rainfall.
Why has the monsoon stalled over the plains?
The Meteorological Department’s ‘All India Weather’ report indicates that dry winds originating from Pakistan have spread across the Arabian Sea, Central India, and South India. Consequently, monsoon clouds have shifted from the vast plains—including Delhi-NCR—towards the mountains. This shift has resulted in torrential rainfall across the mountainous regions.
