India Weather Update: 5 dead, 16 missing in Himachal cloudburst; rains to continue in North India

The monsoon trough at mean sea level is currently passing through several key locations, including Sri Ganganagar, Rohtak, Kanpur, Varanasi, the center of the low-pressure area over Jharkhand and its neighbourhood, Digha, and extending southeastwards to the east-central Bay of Bengal. This trough extends up to 0.9 km above mean sea level, according to IMD.

West Madhya Pradesh witnessed extremely heavy rainfall in the last 24 hours, exceeding 20 cm in some areas, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The region is likely to continue experiencing heavy rainfall in the coming days.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) released a statement saying, "Thunderstorm accompanied with Squally/Gusty winds with speed 60-90 kmph at isolated places over Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana; with speed 40-60 kmph at isolated places over Punjab, Haryana Chandigarh & Delhi, West Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Bihar,Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram & Tripura, interior Karnataka, Coastal Andhra Pradesh & Yanam and Rayalaseema."

Several parts of Punjab and Haryana, along with Chandigarh, received heavy rainfall on Monday (June 30).

Chandigarh received 70.5 mm of rain in the last 24 hours, according to the local Met department.

In Punjab, incessant rains lashed cities including Ludhiana, Patiala, Pathankot, Bathinda, Mohali, Gurdaspur and Ferozepur.

For Northwest India, IMD predicted isolated heavy rainfall over Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh from June 30-July 5.

In Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh, isolated heavy rainfall is expected from June 30 to July 3.

Commuters in Kolkata faced significant disruptions to metro services this Monday, the first working day of the week, due to severe waterlogging caused by heavy rainfall. While some services are still operating, they are running at a crawling pace, causing immense inconvenience during peak hours.

Services between Mahatma Gandhi Road station and Park Street have been completely halted. As of the time of this report, multiple metro trains remain stranded at various stations across the network. Metro authorities have issued assurances that the issues will be resolved promptly, but commuters are already feeling the pinch, with many attempting to exit metro stations to find alternative transportation like buses and cabs to reach their workplaces.

The disruption has led to an increase in crowds at several stations, with the escalators at Maidan station reportedly closed due to overwhelming pressure from the throngs of passengers.

This latest disruption follows a similar incident just two days prior. On Saturday afternoon, North-South Metro services (Dakshineshwar to Kabi Subhash) were interrupted for nearly an hour when the drainage channel between the tracks in the tunnel suddenly filled with water. The incident, which occurred between Jatin Das Park and Netaji Bhavan stations from 3:40 pm to 4:35 pm, was attributed to a burst water pipe.

Metro sources explained that the concrete drainage channel situated between the two tracks, specifically between Jatin Das Park and Kalighat stations, became inundated. Officials highlighted the critical risk posed by a flooded drainage channel to the metro's electrified third rail, which could lead to significant damage and widespread disruption. Consequently, services were immediately suspended on Saturday as per standard metro operating procedures.

Metro workers and officials swiftly responded by disconnecting the power supply to the third line and commencing repair work. The situation was brought under control after approximately an hour of dedicated effort. However, the recurring nature of these disruptions raises concerns for commuters relying on the metro for their daily commute, especially during the monsoon season.