Heavy rain likely over NW India for next 24 hours: IMD

Delhi’s Ayanagar, Paradip in Odisha and Chhattisgarh’s Jagdalpur recorded 7 centimetres (cm) of rain on Wednesday following an intense spell of monsoon showers.

While Najibabad in Uttar Pradesh (UP) recorded 14 cm of rainfall.

Many parts of north-west India, including Punjab, Haryana, and Delhi, are likely to record heavy to very heavy rain during the next 24 hours, India Meteorological Department (IMD) authorities said in their Thursday morning bulletin.

Heavy to extremely heavy rainfall, measuring over 20 cm, is likely to be recorded on Thursday over parts of central India such as Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and eastern Madhya Pradesh (MP).

It has been raining in many parts of the national capital since early morning on Wednesday.

Safdarjung and Palam weather stations in the national capital have recorded 14 millimetres (mm) and 21.5 mm, respectively, between 2.30 and 5.30 am on Thursday.

A well-marked low-pressure area lies over northern coastal Odisha. It is likely to move westwards gradually and concentrate into a depression during the next 24 hours, the IMD bulletin said.

Due to these favourable conditions, widespread and very heavy rain is likely over Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, MP, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, and Vidarbha during the next three-four days.

Extremely heavy rain is likely over southwest Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and eastern MP on Thursday; western MP on Saturday and Sunday; eastern Rajasthan on Saturday and Gujarat over the weekend.

“The monsoon trough is active and lies south of its normal position (from Ganganagar to the Bay of Bengal) and continues to be active during the next four-five days. There is a convergence of strong moist southwesterly winds from the Arabian Sea over plains of northwest India and Central India at lower levels and likely to continue during the next two days. Heavy to very heavy rain is also very likely over Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi during the next 24 hours. “The monsoon trough is near Delhi and there are strong moisture-laden southwesterly winds blowing over the region which is making it favourable for good rainfall activity here,” said RK Jenamani, senior scientist at National Weather Forecasting Centre (NWFC), IMD.

Also read: Traffic affected in various parts of Delhi amid rainfall

Moderate to severe thunderstorms accompanied by lightning is likely over Uttarakhand, UP, and eastern Rajasthan over the next 12 hours.