North and eastern India brace for heavy rainfall this week

The IMD said a fresh low-pressure system has developed in the Bay of Bengal and it was expected to move across Bangladesh into the Gangetic West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, and Odisha.

With more than three-quarters of the southwest monsoon season completed, the all-India rainfall stood at 622.2 mm, which was about 4 per cent above normal.

Till now, eight states or Union Territories have recorded a deficit rainfall – Manipur (-37 per cent), Punjab (-34 per cent), Chandigarh (-30 per cent), Jammu and Kashmir (-28 per cent), Nagaland (-26 per cent), Bihar and Mizoram (-25 per cent, each) and Himachal Pradesh (-21 per cent).

Most regions of north and east India, where many areas remain deprived of normal rainfall this season, will experience heavy spells during the next three to four days, the IMD said.

Enhanced rainfall would affect Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit-Baltistan, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Delhi, Chandigarh, Rajasthan and eastern parts of Uttar Pradesh till August 21.

The monsoon trough, as on Sunday, prevailed along its normal position. Rainfall activity is likely to pick up towards the end of this month over peninsular India, the IMD’s extended range forecast suggested. In addition, cyclonic circulations prevailed over south-west Pakistan and north Karnataka regions, respectively.

During this week, Marathwada, and Vidarbha in Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh are expected to receive heavy rainfall till August 24. Southern peninsular India, too, will continue to experience some rainfall activity till Tuesday. Kerala, Mahe, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and parts of Tamil Nadu are likely to receive isolated heavy rainfall spells.