While Delhi-NCR still awaits monsoon rains, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has sounded orange alerts for districts in Gujarat, Uttarakhand, Maharashtra, and Kerala as well as for isolated places in other states.
The weather department sounded an orange alert in five districts of Kerala, namely Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Idukki, Malappuram and Wayanad. Authorities have made arrangements to evacuate 3,220 people residing in low-lying areas in Kerala’s Idukki district.
In Uttarakhand, the Badrinath National Highway near Nandprayag and Bhaneropani was blocked amid continuous heavy rainfall. “The Badrinath National Highway is blocked near Nandprayag and Bhanerpani. Work is underway to open the road,” the Chamoli police in Uttarakhand said in a post on their official X handle. The National Highway is a key route for pilgrims to travel to Kedarnath.
Parts of Jammu and Kashmir are also on an orange alert, day after a rise in the water level of River Chenab amid heavy rainfall in the region. Due to this, the Ramban district administration has issued an advisory banning all movements near the river.
Rain, thunderstorm likely in Delhi-NCR
Delhi-NCR might finally receive light to moderate showers on Saturday, with the weather department sounding a yellow alert for the region.
The weather department predicted rain with thunderstorms for Delhi-NCR on Saturday and Sunday. The national capital on Saturday recorded a minimum temperature of 28.7 degrees Celsius, with the maximum temperature expected to reach 37 degrees Celsius.
53 roads closed amid heavy rains in Himachal, death toll in flash floods reaches 6
Amid moderate to heavy rains in Himachal Pradesh, 53 roads were closed, restricting traffic movement on these routes, according to PTI news agency. Of these, 23 roads were blocked in Kullu, 16 in Mandi, seven in Lahaul and Spiti, four in Una and three in Sirmaur districts, PTI quoted the state emergency operation centre as saying.
The local met office in the state has issued an orange alert for Sunday, with light to moderate rainfall likely at most places on Friday, Sunday and Monday.
Meanwhile, the death toll in the flash floods which occurred on Wednesday in Kangra reached six as one more body was recovered, PTI quoted officials as saying. The search and rescue operations, being undertaken by National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), police and home guards, were disrupted due to rainfall. The search for two more persons resumed Saturday morning, Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP), Kangra, Aditi Singh, said.
Uttarakhand bus accident toll rises to 4 as violent currents hinder search ops
The toll in the bus accident which took place in Rudraprayag has risen to four, as another body was recovered on Friday from the Alaknanda river. The bus, which was carrying 20 pilgrims to Badrinath, swerved off the road and plunged into the Alaknanda river near Gholtir.
With eight people still missing, search and rescue operations are underway, Superintendent of Police Akshay Prahlad Konde told PTI. However, members of the rescue teams said that the search for the bus and missing people is challenging because of the strong current in the river at present, amid continuous rainfall in the state. A member from the SDRF deep divers team said that diving is also not possible because of the muddy waters, which compromises vision.
Key weather updates
Heavy rainfall over Goa, Punjab, Himachal and other states
The weather department has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places over the Western Ghats, including Konkan and Goa, Ghat areas of central Maharashtra and Gujarat over the next seven days.
Meanwhile, heavy rainfall is also likely over isolated places in Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and East Rajasthan from June 28 to July 3. Very heavy rainfall might be witnessed over Himachal Pradesh and Punjab on June 29, Haryana on June 29 and June 30, Uttarakhand between June 28 to July 1, and Uttar Pradesh between June 29 to July 2.
In East and Central India, heavy rainfall is forecast over Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal and Sikkim during June 28 to July 3. Very heavy rainfall is also predicted in Gangetic West Bengal on June 29 and June 30, in Odisha on June 30 and July 1, and in Jharkhand on June 29.
Very heavy rainfall will also occur in Arunachal Pradesh in the North East and Tamil Nadu, coastal Karnataka, and parts of Kerala in South India.
Thunderstorm, lightning over Andaman & Nicobar, coastal Andhra Pradesh, Telangana
Thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty wind speed reaching 40-50 kmph is predicted over parts of Andaman &Nicobar Islands, Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Gangetic West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha over the next week.
Thunderstorm and lightning will be witnessed over isolated parts of coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam, Telangana, and interior Karnataka over the next seven days.