After weeks of heat and a humid August, the weather has shifted across much of the country. Delhi, which had been unusually hot this month amid an ongoing El Niño, has seen some relief in the second half of the month, with temperatures coming down and the air less muggy. And rain is expected to continue through the day, while several other parts of north and central India are also facing heavy rainfall.
Delhi rain update
The capital saw a heavy downpour in the morning hours on Tuesday, with the weather forecast reporting heavy rain through the day, with generally cloudy skies. The city is facing severe waterlogging following heavy rainfall.
Now that the rain has taken centre stage, the weather department has placed all 11 districts of the capital under a red alert. The alert will remain across Central Delhi, East Delhi, New Delhi, North Delhi, Northeast Delhi, Northwest Delhi, Shahdara, South Delhi, Southeast Delhi, Southwest Delhi and West Delhi.
Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh under orange alert
The rain belt extends across Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, where several districts are under orange alerts.
Heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely at isolated places in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. In Madhya Pradesh, the orange alert covers Chhatarpur, Datia, Gwalior, Niwari, Panna, Rewa, Satna, Sidhi, Singrauli and Tikamgarh.
Weather warning map. (Source: IMD)
In Uttar Pradesh, orange alerts have been issued in Ambedkar Nagar, Ayodhya, Azamgarh, Gorakhpur, Jhansi, Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Varanasi and Jaunpur.
Haryana and Uttarakhand are also seeing alerts, with Panipat and Sonipat in Haryana, and Bageshwar, Champawat, Dehradun, Pithoragarh and Tehri Garhwal in Uttarakhand under orange alert.
Central India flood risks
The continuing rain has also raised concerns about flooding in areas that have already received substantial rainfall.
The IMD has warned of a low to moderate flash flood risk over parts of Madhya Pradesh and eastern Uttar Pradesh during the next 24 hours. Districts including Sidhi, Satna, Rewa, Singrauli, Panna, Chhatarpur, Jabalpur, Prayagraj, Mirzapur and Sonbhadra are among those at risk.
Story continues below this ad
With soils already saturated in some areas, further rain could lead to surface runoff and inundation, particularly in low-lying locations.
South weather update: Kerala, Karnataka rain
Kerala is also under a close weather watch. Orange alerts have been issued for Kannur, Kasaragod, Kozhikode, Lakshadweep, Malappuram, Thrissur and Wayanad on Tuesday.
Kerala weather map. (Source: IMD)
The IMD expects isolated heavy rain over Kerala and Mahe (Mayyazhi) on August 25 and 26 with widespread rainfall likely over Kerala, Mahe and Lakshadweep through August 28.
Coastal Karnataka is also likely to see fairly widespread to widespread rain through August 31, with isolated heavy rainfall expected on Tuesday. The rain is likely to come with thunderstorms and gusty winds in several southern states.
Story continues below this ad
Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal could see thunderstorms, lightning and winds reaching 40-50 kmph, with gusts up to 60 kmph, on August 25 and 26.
Similar conditions are expected over parts of Lakshadweep, Andhra Pradesh and Rayalaseema over the next few days.
The IMD has also warned of strong surface winds over Kerala and Lakshadweep, while parts of Andhra Pradesh and Rayalaseema could see gusty winds through August 28.
Northeast flood risks
The rain story extends to the Northeast, where parts of Nagaland and Manipur face a low to moderate flash flood risk over the next 24 hours. The IMD has warned that saturated soils and low-lying areas could see water accumulation and surface runoff as more rain moves through the region.
Weather warning map. (Source: IMD)
Kerala weather map. (Source: IMD)