Orange warning for Delhi; Odisha sees extremely heavy rain

Delhi has witnessed a few instances of water logging this rainy season due to heavy showers.

The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC), Delhi has issued an orange warning for Delhi today. An orange warning implies that disaster management authorities should be prepared to avert any rain related disasters or flooding.

Diaster management authority has been asked to be on alert in Delhi. (Sonu Mehta/HT PHOTO)

RMC has said light to moderate thundershowers are likely in Delhi towards evening or night. There is likely to be minor traffic disruption and water accumulation in low lying areas, RMC said in its impact-based bulletin for Delhi on Tuesday evening.

Heavy to very heavy rains are likely over Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and over Uttar Pradesh also from August 26 to 28.

Odisha has already started recording extremely heavy rain. The highest values are being recorded at Champua (Keonjhargarh) - 21 cm, Boudh - 20.8 cm, Marshaghai (Kendrapada) - 23.4 cm, since yesterday.

The monsoon trough (line of low pressure) is active and is very likely to remain active during next 2-3 days. In addition, there is a convergence of strong lower level southwesterly winds from Arabian Sea over northwest India till August 28. A well-marked low pressure area is also lying over North Bay of Bengal which is moving west-northwestwards across Odisha, Gangetic West Bengal, Jharkhand, north Chhattisgarh and later towards Uttar Pradesh in the next five days.

Due to these favourable conditions, widespread to very heavy rain is very likely over Odisha, Gangetic West Bengal, Jharkhand till August 28; over Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and West Rajasthan during August 26 to 28 and over east Rajasthan on August 28 and 29.

Extremely heavy rain (over 20 cm) is likely over Chhattisgarh on August 27. IMD has said localised flooding of roads, water logging in low lying areas and closure of underpasses mainly in urban areas of the above region, disruption of traffic, mudslides are likely in parts of Odisha and Chhattisgarh during the period.

Widespread and heavy rain is also very likely over northwest India till August 28, IMD’s Tuesday evening bulletin said.

Monsoon rain over the country since June 1 is 7% excess with 4% excess over east and northeast India; 14% deficiency over northwest India; 15% excess over central India; and 24% excess over south peninsula.

In August the entire country has recorded 22.6% excess rain; 5.2% deficiency over northwest India; 18% deficiency over east and northeast India; 50% excess over central India and 51.5% excess over south Peninsula according to data with India Meteorological Department.