A low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal has triggered heavy rainfall across Gujarat for the past three days. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for Saturday as well. Schools and colleges will remain closed in several districts today.
A red alert indicates rainfall exceeding 204 mm in 24 hours, while an orange alert means rainfall between 115.6 mm and 204.4 mm in 24 hours.
To tackle the situation, 17 NDRF and 33 SDRF teams have been deployed in the affected areas. Surat remains the worst-hit, with Ambika recording 465 mm of rainfall in just 14 hours.
The IMD has also warned of heavy rainfall in Arunachal Pradesh’s Papum Pare and Lower Dibang Valley districts. An orange alert has been issued for eastern Rajasthan, Madhya Maharashtra, Konkan-Goa, Karnataka and Kerala.
Several rivers in Uttarakhand, Odisha and Assam are flowing close to or above the danger mark, severely affecting people living along their banks.
In its August outlook, the IMD has forecast that the second half of the monsoon season will be weaker, with below-normal rainfall expected during August and September.
See the status of monsoon clouds in satellite map
Weather related updates
- An orange alert has been issued for heavy rainfall in Dakshina Kannada, prompting the closure of schools and colleges.Heavy rain continues in Uttarakhand’s Rudraprayag district. As a precautionary measure, the local administration has suspended the Kedarnath Yatra.Businessman Gautam Adani has contributed ₹11 crore to the Assam Chief Minister’s Relief Fund to support flood-affected people.
Pictures related to weather across the country
A woman arrived to see the damage caused by water in her house amidst floods in Jorhat, Assam.
Due to continuous rain in Surat, Gujarat, many areas have been waterlogged. Rescue teams are active.
People arrived at the temple for darshan amidst monsoon rains in Bhimashankar, Pune, Maharashtra.
Water levels have risen in the Beas River in Mandi, Himachal Pradesh. The picture is from near Gurudwara Shri Govind Singh.
Influenza cases rise in Delhi
Amid the monsoon rains and changing weather, H1N1 influenza cases have increased across Delhi-NCR. Dr Sanjeev Sinha, Professor of Medicine at the Department of Medicine, AIIMS Delhi, said the drop in temperature during the monsoon has led to a higher spread of the influenza virus. Patients are reporting symptoms such as sore throat, runny nose, dry cough and headache.
Weather forecast for the next two days
2 August: An orange alert for heavy rainfall has been issued for Sikkim and the Himalayan districts of West Bengal. A yellow alert for rain is in place across the country, except for 15 districts of Gangetic West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, western Uttar Pradesh, Marathwada, Vidarbha, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
3 August: An orange alert for heavy rainfall remains in effect for Sikkim and five Himalayan districts of West Bengal. Strong winds are also expected over Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Rayalaseema.
