Rain Alert: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned that heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely across 16 states—including Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttarakhand—on Wednesday, August 19. A ‘Red Alert’ has been issued for Eastern Uttar Pradesh for Wednesday, with warnings of isolated instances of very heavy rainfall exceeding 21 cm in the state’s southeastern districts. According to the IMD, the monsoon trough is interacting with multiple cyclonic circulations in the upper atmosphere across North India. The weather system driving this heavy rainfall is expected to move west-northwestwards through Jharkhand and Bihar over the next 24 hours before weakening into a low-pressure area. The department stated that a disturbance in the Bay of Bengal could trigger heavy rainfall today across a region stretching from Bihar, Jharkhand, and Madhya Pradesh to Eastern Uttar Pradesh. Some areas in Chhattisgarh may also experience rainfall today. Meanwhile, an ‘Orange Alert’ for very heavy rainfall has been issued for Uttarakhand and Eastern Madhya Pradesh.
Where it will rain:
Skies will remain cloudy over Delhi-NCR; however, heavy rain is unlikely, though light drizzles or showers are possible.
Heavy rainfall is expected in Bihar on August 19–20 and in Jharkhand from August 20 to 22. Heavy rain is also forecast for the Gangetic plains today.
An alert for heavy to very heavy rainfall has been issued for Uttarakhand, effective from today until August 24. Thunderstorms and lightning strikes are also predicted in several areas.
Rainy weather is expected to continue in Jammu & Kashmir until August 23.
In Western Madhya Pradesh, rainfall is likely on August 23–24, following the spell on August 18–19. Thunderstorms and lightning are also possible across both Eastern and Western Madhya Pradesh until August 22.
Rainfall is expected in Himachal Pradesh—including Shimla, Manali, and other high-altitude areas—until August 22. The Meteorological Department has issued a rainfall alert for Haryana and Chandigarh for August 19 and 22.
Rain is also likely in Punjab.
Significant rainfall is expected in Western Uttar Pradesh, including Noida and Ghaziabad, on August 19 and 22.
Heavy rainfall is expected in the Purvanchal region from August 21 to 24.
Light rain is possible in Rajasthan.
Rain is also likely in Chhattisgarh on August 21–22.
Odisha is also likely to experience thunderstorms and lightning strikes up to August 22.
Weather conditions across the entire Northeast India region—including Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram, and Tripura—are expected to remain unsettled until August 24.
What is causing the rainfall?
The western end of the monsoon trough is currently positioned north of its normal location, while its eastern end remains close to its normal position. The formation of additional cyclonic circulations over northern Haryana, eastern Uttar Pradesh, and Punjab is likely to intensify rainfall across the Indo-Gangetic plains. This warning follows the active phase of the monsoon. Over the past 24 hours, very heavy rainfall exceeding 21 centimeters was recorded in parts of Uttarakhand, the Gangetic plains of West Bengal, and Odisha. Meteorologists predict that the focus of the rainfall will gradually shift westward in the coming days; consequently, the monsoon will remain active over parts of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and the Western Himalayan region for the remainder of the week, while flood-prone areas will be closely monitored.
