Rain deficit widens to 18% as monsoon subsides; Uttarakhand on yellow alert

After over a week of mayhem in parts of India, the monsoon came to a halt across the country on Monday. Till July 12, India had received 219.4 mm of rainfall, compared to the normal 266.9 mm. The country's rain deficit has again widened to 18 per cent, after relentless rains had brought the deficit down from 30 per cent at the end of June to 14 per cent on July 9.

 

Meanwhile, Uttarakhand remained on yellow alert after heavy rain-triggered landslides blocked 126 roads in the state, including two national highways. Rains in Himachal Pradesh continued to disrupt normal life in many parts, triggering landslides, blocking roads, damaging bridges, and uprooting trees.

 

 

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert for Uttarakhand till Thursday, July 16, and said the state is expected to receive widespread rainfall through July 18. It also predicted widespread rainfall over Himachal Pradesh during July 17-18.

 

The IMD on Sunday said that Northwest, Central, and Western India, as well as Southern Peninsular India, are expected to witness a dry spell this week. Meanwhile, it has issued a flash flood warning for Assam and Meghalaya on Monday amid a forecast of heavy rainfall in the region.

 

It has also predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall in West Bengal and Bihar over the next two to three days, and "isolated heavy falls" over eastern Uttar Pradesh over the next four to five days.

 

Meanwhile, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan are likely to see isolated to scattered showers through the week, the weather agency said.