Jammu and Kashmir is likely to witness widespread rainfall and thunderstorms over the coming days, with the Meteorological department warning of heavy to very heavy rain in a few districts of Jammu division from August 9 to 11.

Jammu recorded a maximum temperature of 30.5 degree Celsius, which was 2.4 notches below normal, while the minimum settled at 23.6 degrees . 0.4 notches above normal. The city received 4.0 mm of rainfall in the past 24 hours ending at 5.30 pm on Saturday.

At Katra, the base camp for pilgrims visiting Mata Vaishno Devi shrine, the maximum temperature was 27.2 Degrees Celsius, 7.5 notches below normal, while the minimum stood at near normal at 23.6 degrees Celsius. Katra received 7.0 mm of rainfall during the period.

Srinagar also witnessed a pleasant weather with a high of 26.1 degrees Celsius which was 3.8 degrees below season's average and a low of near normal 19.5 degrees Celsius. The city recorded 2.0 mm of rainfall in the past 24 hours till 5.30 pm.

Torrential rains have led to the closure of 153 roads in Himachal Pradesh, and the Shimla MeT office on Saturday issued an 'orange alert' for heavy to very heavy rains at isolated places in the state on Monday and Tuesday.

According to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC), 77 water supply schemes and 92 transformers were also disrupted as of Saturday morning.

A total of 65 roads were blocked in Mandi, followed by 42 in Kullu, 26 in Shimla, 8 in Sirmaur, 5 in Kangra, 4 in Chamba and 3 in Una district, officials said.

A relentless monsoon has engulfed parts of the National Capital Region (NCR) with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issuing a yellow alert for the region for August 8.

The rains have caused temperatures to plunge by 7 degrees Celsius, ushering in cool weather and a breeze. However, along with the rainfall come severe waterlogging and massive traffic jams. As per the official Daily Weather Report & Forecast Bulletin issued by the IMD in New Delhi, the widespread precipitation caused maximum temperatures across the capital to plummet 3 degrees Celsius to 7 degrees Celsius below standard climatic averages.

In addition, relative humidity reached a saturated 100% across several monitoring stations, with persistent easterly winds blowing at 20 to 25 km/h, sustaining a damp and breezy atmosphere throughout urban centres.

Hours of heavy rain turned several of Delhi's arterial and connecting roads into choke points on Friday, with waterlogged stretches, fallen trees and long traffic queues slowing movement across large parts of the national capital.

From Mahipalpur and Dhaula Kuan to MB Road, Ring Road, ITO and parts of east Delhi, commuters faced prolonged delays as multiple bottlenecks emerged almost simultaneously.

By the end of the day, the scale of the disruption was showing up in complaint registers too.

Due to inclement weather and the Met Department's forecast of heavy rain, especially in Jammu and Kashmir's Jammu division, authorities decided to suspend the Amarnath Yatra on Saturday as no pilgrim was allowed to move from here to the Valley.

As more than 4.75 lakh Yatris had 'darshan' inside the holy cave shrine till Friday, the number of Yatris arriving in Jammu for the pilgrimage has also come down now.

Officials said no fresh batch of Yatris was allowed to leave the Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas in Jammu towards the Valley today.

Torrential rains have led to the closure of 185 roads in Himachal Pradesh, and the Shimla Met Office on Saturday issued an 'orange alert' for heavy to very heavy rains at isolated places in the state on Monday and Tuesday.

According to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC), 77 water supply schemes and 104 transformers were also disrupted as of Saturday morning.

A total of 92 roads were blocked in Mandi, followed by 48 in Kullu, 14 each in Chamba and Shimla, 9 in Sirmaur, 5 in Kangra and 3 in Una district, officials said.

Since the monsoon began on June 30, 65 people have died in rain-related incidents so far, including 14 in landslides and one in flash floods.

The state has suffered losses totalling Rs 834 crore, they said.

(PTI)

A fresh depression intensifying over the Bay of Bengal is likely to bring heavy rainfall across several districts of south Bengal from Tuesday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Saturday.

According to officials at the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC), Alipore, a depression is expected to form over Gangetic West Bengal and adjoining Bangladesh later in the day, while a cyclonic circulation over the region is also strengthening. The combined impact of these weather systems is expected to sustain rainfall activity across south Bengal in the coming days.

The Met office has advised fishermen not to venture into the deep sea over the next 24 hours as rough sea conditions are likely to prevail due to the depression. Scattered rainfall is expected to continue across the state till Tuesday.

Rainfall activity is likely to intensify in the coastal districts over the next two days, with heavy to very heavy showers forecast in parts of South 24 Parganas, East Midnapore and West Midnapore. Heavy rainfall is also likely at isolated places in Kolkata, Howrah, Hooghly, Bankura and Jhargram districts.

From Tuesday onward, the intensity of rain is expected to increase further across the western and coastal districts, as well as other parts of Gangetic south Bengal.

(IANS)

Heavy rainfall lashed several districts of Rajasthan during the past 24 hours as the monsoon remained active in the state, the Meteorological Centre here said on Saturday.

Thanagazi in Alwar recorded the highest rainfall of 93 mm, while Alwar, Bharatpur, Dausa, Khairthal-Tijara, Kotputli-Behror, Jhunjhunu, Churu and Didwana-Kuchaman districts also witnessed rainfall.

The Meteorological Centre said monsoon conditions are likely to remain active over most parts of eastern Rajasthan during the next one week and rainfall activity is expected to continue.

The centre forecast that moderate to heavy rainfall is very likely at some places in the Bharatpur, Jaipur, Kota, Ajmer and Udaipur divisions between August 8 and 10.

Amid continued rainfall, the water level of the Yamuna in Delhi is showing an increasing trend and stood at 203.91 metres. The river remains below the warning level of 204.5 metres and the danger mark of 205.33 metres. The highest flood level (HFL) for the river is 208.66 metres.

Rains continued in several parts of Kerala on Saturday, prolonging waterlogging and inundation in many districts, while the IMD forecast moderate rainfall at isolated places in seven districts in the morning.

Moderate rainfall accompanied by winds reaching up to 30 kmph is very likely at isolated places in Thiruvananthapuram, Idukki, Ernakulam, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod districts, the India Meteorological Department said.

Light rainfall is likely at isolated places in the remaining districts, it said.

With floodwaters yet to recede completely, a large number of people continued to stay in relief camps in several south and central districts.

For Sunday, the IMD has issued an orange alert for Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod districts.

An orange alert refers to very heavy rain of 11 cm to 20 cm.

(PTI)

The national Capital saw a slight decrease in the minimum temperature on Saturday, even as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a yellow alert for the day, forecasting light to moderate rain.

Safdarjung, representing the city's weather, recorded a minimum temperature of 24.7 degrees Celsius, 2.2 degrees below normal and a 0.9-degree decrease from the previous day. Palam recorded a minimum temperature of 22.5 degrees Celsius, a 0.7-degree decrease from the previous day; Lodhi Road recorded a minimum of 24.4 degrees Celsius; Ayanagar recorded a minimum of 24.7 degrees, a 0.1-degree decrease from the previous day.

Several weather stations recorded light to moderate rain in the early hours of Saturday.

Safdarjung recorded 16.6 mm of rain between 11.30 pm on Friday and 2.30 am on Saturday, and 1.6 mm of rain in the subsequent three hours. Palam recorded 10.2 mm of rain between 11:30 pm and 2:30 am, and 3.4 mm of rain between 2:30 am and 5:30 am.

Pusa recorded 13 mm of rain until 2:30 am and 16 mm after that.

(PTI)

North Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal are likely to experience thunderstorms accompanied by gusty winds and light to moderate rainfall at isolated places on Saturday, the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC), Chennai, has said.

According to the latest weather bulletin, a weak atmospheric circulation extending up to about 5.8 km above sea level persists from the southwest Bay of Bengal across Tamil Nadu towards the north Kerala coast.

Another weak circulation is prevailing in the lower atmospheric levels over the coastal areas of north Tamil Nadu.

Under the influence of these weather systems, isolated places in districts along the Western Ghats are likely to receive moderate rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms and gusty winds reaching speeds of 40-50 kmph on Saturday.

(IANS)

The grim flood situation in Assam continues to claim lives, with the total death toll reaching 98 following confirmed reports of casualties from several affected districts across the state.

According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), the devastating floods have heavily impacted multiple regions, resulting in the loss of 57 males and 23 females, alongside 18 children (12 males and 6 females).

Among the hardest-hit areas, Cachar district has recorded 22 deaths, while Sivasagar has reported 10 fatalities. Other severely affected districts include Karimganj (9 deaths), Golaghat (6 deaths), along with casualties reported across Dhemaji, Nagaon, Udalguri, Sonitpur, and Karbi Anglong.

(ANI)

An orange warning has been issued for districts in Haryana, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Arunachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Nagaland, Uttar Pradesh and Assam.

The IMD said thunderstorms and lightning accompanied by gusty winds of 40-60 kmph and moderate to intense/heavy rainfall of 5-15 mm per hour or more:

Haryana

• Bhiwani
• Charki Dadri
• Fatehabad
• Hisar
• Karnal
• Mahendragarh
• Panipat
• Sirsa

Punjab

• Amritsar
• Gurdaspur
• Hoshiarpur
• Pathankot

Jammu and Kashmir

• Doda
• Jammu
• Kathua
• Ramban
• Reasi
• Samba
• Udhampur

Arunachal Pradesh

• East Siang
• Lower Siang

Madhya Pradesh

• Ashoknagar
• Guna
• Sheopur Kalan
• Shivpuri

Nagaland

• Dimapur
• Peren

Uttar Pradesh

• Badaun
• Farrukhabad
• Hardoi
• Kannauj
• Kanpur Dehat
• Kanpur Nagar
• Shahjahanpur
• Unnao

Assam

• Dhemaji
• Lakhimpur

The IMD has issued a red warning for six districts of Haryana.

According to the forecast, lightning and thunderstorms accompanied by gusty winds of around 60 kmph and heavy to intense rainfall exceeding 15 mm per hour are very likely over:

• Gurgaon
• Jhajjar
• Jind
• Rewari
• Rohtak
• Sonipat

Heavy rain lashed across Kerala on Friday as the IMD issued a red alert for four districts.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast bulletin issued on Friday evening, a red alert has been issued for Kasaragod, Kannur, Wayanad and Kozhikode districts.

A red alert indicates the likelihood of extremely heavy rainfall exceeding 204.4 mm in 24 hours.

An orange alert has been issued for Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Idukki and Malappuram districts, forecasting very heavy rainfall between 115.6 mm and 204.4 mm in 24 hours.

A yellow alert is in place for Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad and Malappuram districts, forecasting heavy rainfall between 64.5 mm and 115.5 mm in 24 hours.

For Sunday, the IMD has issued an orange alert for Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod districts.

(PTI)

Himachal Pradesh is likely to witness intensified monsoon activity from August 10, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issuing an Orange Alert for Chamba, Kangra, Kullu and Mandi and warning of heavy rainfall, flash floods, landslides and rising water levels in rivers and streams.

Speaking to ANI on Friday, Meteorological Centre Shimla Director Shobhit Katiyar said the monsoon has remained largely normal in the state over the past few days, with widespread rainfall recorded across several districts.

He said light to moderate rainfall was observed in many parts of the state during the past 24 hours, while heavy rainfall occurred at isolated places in Chamba, Kangra, Mandi, Shimla and Bilaspur.

"During the last 24 hours, light to moderate rainfall was observed in many districts, while heavy rainfall occurred at isolated places in Chamba, Kangra, Mandi, Shimla and Bilaspur," Katiyar said.

Katiyar said there is no major severe weather system expected over the next two days, although moderate to heavy rainfall is likely in Chamba, Kangra, Kullu and Mandi on August 7.

He added that rainfall activity is likely to reduce slightly on August 8 and 9.

(ANI)