Heavy rainfall, thundershower lash several parts of Northeast India

WEATHER | Sept 12, 2020:

Many parts of India on Friday witnessed rainfall and thundershower, with heavy to very heavy showers being recorded in isolated places, while hot and humid conditions prevailed in the northern region.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said heavy to very heavy rainfall was observed at isolated places over sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim, coastal Karnataka, Kerala and Mahe.

Heavy rainfall was reported in isolated places of Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, east Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Gujarat, coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam, Telangana, Rayalaseema, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal and south-interior Karnataka, it added.

Rainfall and thundershowers were observed in many parts of Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh and coastal Karnataka and at a few places over Gangetic West Bengal and Jharkhand among others, the IMD said.

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Similar conditions were observed in isolated places over east Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit-Baltistan & Muzaffarabad and Rajasthan, it added.

In Karnataka, 24 fishermen stranded at sea off the Bhatkal coast due to strong winds were rescued by the Indian Coast Guard, and heavy rains lashed Mangaluru city and parts of Dakshina Kannada district, inundating low-lying areas and flooding several places.

The wall of a residential complex in Mangaluru's Kuntikan collapsed following the heavy downpour, burying several cars parked in the area. The debris fell on the compound of a hostel behind the residential complex.

The meteorological department sounded a red alert for Friday and Saturday in the coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi and an orange alert for September 13. It predicted heavy rainfall along with thunder and lightning during the days.

In Madhya Pradesh, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said torrential rains and floods in the last week of August resulted in a loss of Rs 9,500 crore to the state.

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Crops over an area of 11.30 lakh hectares have been destroyed, leaving 11.34 lakh farmers affected, while around 60,000 houses were also damaged, he said.

Heavy rains severely hit 12 districts and partially affected 23, disrupting normal life in 8,442 villages. Crops and houses in several districts including, Sehore, Raisen, Hoshangabad, Harda and Dewas, were damaged, Chouhan said.

A central team arrived in the state on Thursday to assess the damage.

Up north, Delhi reeled under a spell of heat and humidity on Friday, with the maximum temperature settling at 37.8 degrees Celsius, four notches above the season's average.

The meteorological department said the skies over the city would remain clear and no rains were likely till Tuesday. Humidity levels remained between 90 per cent and 44 per cent.

So far in September, the city has recorded just 20.9 mm rainfall against the normal of 66.4 mm — a deficiency of 69 per cent. Overall, it has recorded 576.5 mm precipitation against the normal of 590.2 mm since June 1, when the monsoon season starts.

The IMD has said the monsoon is likely to stay longer in the national capital this year and will start withdrawing only in the "initial days of October".

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The maximum temperatures across Haryana and Punjab settled three-four notches above the normal on Friday following subdued rainfall over the region in the past week.

Chandigarh, the common capital of the two states, recorded a high of 35.7 degrees Celsius, up three degrees, according to the meteorological department here.

Hisar in Haryana was the hottest place in the state at 38.8 degrees Celsius, up three notches against normal. Narnaul recorded a high of 37.4 degrees Celsius, up two notches against normal, Ambala recorded 36.4 degrees Celsius, up four notches, and Karnal registered a maximum of 35 degrees Celsius, up three degrees.

In Punjab, Patiala recorded a high of 36.9 degrees Celsius, up four degrees, while Amritsar and Ludhiana recorded 35.8 degrees Celsius and 35.2 degrees Celsius respectively.

In Uttar Pradesh, light to moderate rain and thundershowers occurred at isolated places in the eastern part, while the western region of the state remained dry.

Turtipar in Ballia recorded 9 cm rainfall, Mau and Sonbhadra's Churk 4 cm each, and Hata in Kushinagar and Mirzapur 3 cm each.

The weatherman has forecast light to moderate thunderstorm accompanied by lightning at isolated places over east UP and dry weather in western districts on Saturday.

The IMD said fairly widespread to widespread rainfall with isolated heavy falls, thunderstorm and lightning are very likely over Peninsular India during the next five days.

Heavy to very heavy rainfall is very likely at isolated places over coastal Karnataka during September 11 and 12, it added.