Monsoons to unleash heavy rains over Uttarakhand; flood alerts issued in Dehradun, Almora, Chamoli, Bageshwar

Monsoonal rains have been beating down on Uttarakhand for a while now, but the northwestern state is gearing up for another spell of heavy rainfall, particularly on Wednesday.

Torrential rains started lashing parts of the state in the evening hours on Sunday and continued for five hours till 1 AM on Monday. During this period, 136 mm of rainfall was recorded in Jolly Grant, 101 mm in Shama (Bageshwar), 93.2 mm in Dehradun, 42.2 mm in Karnprayag, and 41.1 mm in Narendra Nagar. On Monday morning, a giant banyan tree fell on Darshan Lal Chowk, causing cracks in the walls of an adjacent temple. In another incident, a tree fell on Pathri Bagh Chowk, causing an electricity pole to collapse and disrupting traffic for some time.

Now, according to the Meteorological Center, the inclement weather is likely to continue affecting Uttarakhand for the next few days. Up to widespread moderate showers accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning are likely in the state during the next five days. Isolated heavy to very heavy rains (64.5 mm-204.5 mm) are expected between Tuesday to Friday (July 30-August 2).

Dehradun, Pithoragarh, Pauri, Bageshwar, Haridwar, Almora, Champawat, Nainital and Udham Singh Nagar districts are likely to experience one or two spells of heavy rain on Tuesday. The intensity of rainfall is expected to increase on Wednesday. Bageshwar, Pithoragarh, Pauri, Dehradun, Tehri, Champawat, and Nainital districts are likely to receive very heavy rainfall. In view of this, an orange alert has been issued.

Flood warnings have also been issued in Dehradun, Pauri Garhwal, Almora, Chamoli, Pithoragarh and Bageshwar districts today due to the possibility of flooding and inundation — particularly in low-lying areas. Those residing near rivers are advised to maintain a safe distance from the water bodies and take other necessary precautions.

As for mercury levels, daytime temperatures have risen above normal in many parts of the state despite the wet conditions. Dehradun recorded a maximum temperature of 35.2°C, which is five degrees above normal, and a minimum temperature of 24°C, one degree above normal. Pantnagar recorded a maximum temperature of 35.6°C, three degrees above normal, and a minimum temperature of 17.3°C. Mukteshwar recorded a maximum temperature of 22.8°C and a minimum temperature of 17.0°C. Tehri recorded a maximum temperature of 26.4°C and a minimum temperature of 18.7°C.