Rain likely in Delhi as Punjab battles floods, J&K hit by record showers

IMD predicts cloudy skies with rain in Delhi till Sept 1 as Yamuna crosses danger mark, Punjab villages inundated, and J&K records heaviest rainfall in 52 years

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Thursday forecast a generally cloudy sky with very light to light rain or thundershowers at a few places, and moderate rain at isolated places during the night or early hours. No weather alert has been issued for the day.

 

The maximum temperature is expected to hover around 31–33 degrees Celsius, while the minimum temperature will stay between 23–25 degrees Celsius.

 

Weekly outlook till September 1

 

According to IMD, similar conditions will persist across Delhi till September 1, with cloudy skies, light rain, and thundershowers at a few places, along with moderate rain at isolated locations during the night or early hours.

 

Delhi’s air quality worsens

 

Despite the wet spell, Delhi’s air quality dropped to the ‘moderate’ category on Thursday. The Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 110 at 7 am, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

 

Delhi’s 24-hour average AQI was 71 on August 27. In the NCR, Gurugram recorded 35, Noida 58, Greater Noida 80, and Ghaziabad 68.

 

The CPCB classifies AQI as:

 

0–50: Good

51–100: Satisfactory

101–200: Moderate

201–300: Poor

301–400: Very Poor

401–500: Severe

 

Yamuna water level crosses danger mark

 

The water level of the Yamuna crossed the danger mark on Wednesday, flowing at 205.39 metres at 9 pm, PTI reported. The rise, triggered by continuous rainfall in Delhi, has kept the administration on high alert. 

 

Punjab remains under floods

 

Cloudy skies with rainfall and thunderstorms were also forecast for several parts of Punjab. Villages in multiple districts continued to reel under massive floods as state and central agencies intensified rescue and relief operations on Wednesday.

 

The worst-hit villages are in Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Fazilka, Kapurthala, Tarn Taran, Ferozepur, Hoshiarpur, and Amritsar districts. Large-scale evacuations were carried out in flood-ravaged areas, PTI reported.

 

Heavy rains in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir led to the Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi rivers, along with seasonal rivulets, swelling and inundating farmlands and villages across Punjab. 

 

Record rains in Jammu & Kashmir

 

The IMD reported 296 mm rainfall in Jammu on Wednesday, breaking a 52-year-old record of 272.6 mm set on August 9, 1973, PTI reported.

 

Over the past two days, record rains wreaked havoc across Jammu and Kashmir, taking the death toll in related incidents to 41. Most of the casualties occurred due to a landslide along the Vaishno Devi pilgrimage route.  Though there was some let-up in rainfall on Wednesday, massive damage was reported to public infrastructure, private houses, and commercial establishments due to overflowing water bodies and flash floods across the Union Territory. Relief efforts picked up pace following the brief respite.