The death count in the landslide at Gaushiya Chawl in Chirag Nagar near Rathod Medical in Mumbai's Kurla area in wee hours of Wednesday following heavy rain has risen to seven, including two children, according to a senior official.

- ANI

The IMD on Wednesday forecast extremely heavy rainfall in flood-hit Balasore and Bhadrak districts of Odisha, forecasting intense downpour across the state under the influence of a low-pressure area formed over the Bay of Bengal.

The weather agency said the system is likely to intensify into a depression over the next 24 hours.

A depression is a weather system stronger than a low-pressure area but less intense than a tropical cyclone.

In view of the intensity of the system, the IMD issued a red alert, advising authorities to "take action" for extremely heavy rainfall at one or two places in Balasore and Bhadrak districts till 8.30 am on Thursday.

Extremely heavy rainfall, according to India Meteorological Department (IMD) terminology, means rainfall exceeding 20 cm, a senior scientist at the meteorological centre in Bhubaneswar said.

- PTI

The India Meteorological Department on Wednesday said a fresh low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal could trigger heavy rainfall across Odisha till August 17.

The weather system is likely to be more marked and move northwestwards during the next 48 hours, the IMD said in a morning bulletin.

"Under the influence of yesterday's upper air cyclonic circulation over northwest Bay of Bengal and neighbourhood, a low-pressure area has formed over the North Bay of Bengal off West Bengal-Bangladesh coasts at 5.30 am," it said.

"It is likely to become a well marked low-pressure area over the same region during the next 12 hours. Thereafter, it is likely to concentrate into a depression and move northwestwards across West Bengal and adjoining Bangladesh coasts during subsequent 24 hours," the IMD said in another bulletin.

The Meteorological Centre in Bhubaneswar said Odisha could experience rainfall activity over the next five to six days.

Rajasthan has received an average of around 20 mm of rainfall over the past two days, bringing relief to several parts of the state after a prolonged rainfall deficit.

However, despite the recent spell, the state continues to record below-normal cumulative rainfall, with significant variations across districts and divisions. According to rainfall data, the state has recorded 242.63 mm of rainfall so far this monsoon season, against the expected 272.49 mm, leaving the state with a cumulative rainfall deficit of 10.96 per cent.

The distribution of rainfall across Rajasthan remains uneven. So far, seven districts have received above-normal rainfall, while 18 districts have recorded normal rainfall.

Meanwhile, 16 districts continue to receive below-normal rainfall, highlighting the contrasting rainfall pattern across the state.

The recent two-day spell has helped improve the rainfall situation in several areas, particularly those that had been facing a significant deficit. However, the benefits of the rainfall have not been uniform across the state.

The Kota and Udaipur divisions remain among the areas most affected by below-normal rainfall. These divisions normally receive substantial rainfall during the monsoon but continue to face deficits despite the recent heavy showers.
 

The flood situation in Assam remained serious on Wednesday, with more than 1.12 lakh people affected across four districts amid the forecast of more rain in several areas already reeling under the deluge, officials said.

Several rivers are flowing above their danger levels, posing a threat of flooding in new areas, an Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) official said.

The IMD's Guwahati centre has forecast thunderstorms, accompanied by lightning, and moderate to heavy rain in parts of Charaideo, Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Sivasagar and Tinsukia districts, she said.

The Dhansiri river at Numaligarh in Golaghat district continues to flow in a "severe flood situation", she said, advising people to stay away from the river amid a continuous rise in its water level.

According to the ASDMA's daily flood bulletin, no fresh death was reported and the toll in this year's floods remained at 101.

More than 1,12,700 people are currently affected by the floods in Golaghat, Jorhat, Nagaon and Sivasagar districts, the bulletin said.

Even as Odisha was yet to recover from the recent floods that affected 8 lakh people in 23 districts, the IMD said a fresh low-pressure area was likely to be formed in the Bay of Bengal on Wednesday, and forecast rainfall across the state till August 17.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD), in its Tuesday evening bulletin, said that the "upper air cyclonic circulation over northwest Bay of Bengal and tilting southwestwards with height persists".

"Under its influence, a low-pressure area is likely to form over the same region around August 12," it said.

Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre Director Manorama Mohanty said Odisha is likely to experience very heavy rainfall till August 13 and isolated heavy rainfall may also occur from August 14 to August 17.

The state will also experience squally weather conditions, with surface winds reaching 40-50 kmph. Sea conditions are expected to remain rough to very rough, she said.

The weather office urged fishermen not to venture into the sea till August 15. It also warned of flood, breach of river embankments, water-logging in urban areas and potential landslides or mudslides in hilly terrains.

Schools in Bhopal and Guna will remain closed on Wednesday as heavy rain continued to lash several parts of Madhya Pradesh for the third consecutive day, triggering waterlogging in low-lying areas and prompting district administrations to prioritise the safety of students, officials said.

Schools in Bhopal had also remained closed on Monday and Tuesday due to the prevailing weather conditions.

The administration decided to extend the closure for another day as rainfall continued in several parts of the state and the weather department forecast more rain.

Several places recorded heavy rainfall during the past 24 hours.

Amid the worsening rain situation, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav reviewed rescue and relief operations from the State Disaster Management situation room.

He took a district-wise update on flood and waterlogging conditions and virtually interacted with affected residents and rescue personnel.

Heavy monsoon rains continued to disrupt life across Himachal Pradesh, with 70 people losing their lives and 204 roads remaining blocked in rain-related disasters and cumulative damage to public property crossing Rs 910 crore over the past 43 days, according to the official report.

The latest data from State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) covering the period from June 30 to August 11 reflected the extensive impact of the monsoon across the hill state, with roads, power infrastructure, water supply systems and private property bearing the brunt of repeated heavy rainfall, landslides, cloudbursts and other weather-related incidents.

As many as 204 roads are currently blocked across the state, including two national highways, NH-154 and NH-21. Mandi is the worst affected district, with 80 roads closed.

The key Mandi-Kullu route has also been disrupted at Jalogi Dwada. Kullu has reported 56 blocked roads, while 23 roads remain closed in Sirmaur.