Rains likely to intensify in next 5 days, says IMD

With monsoon entering an active phase, an “intense spell of rain is expected over parts of central India and adjoining northwest India” in the next 4-5 days, said India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Friday.

“There are two low pressure systems one over Uttar Pradesh and another over Jharkhand. They have intensified rain. Also, both winds from Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal are strong

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making monsoon very active. The monsoon trough is roughly passing along Ganganagar and Delhi which is why Delhi is also seeing some intense spells. But rains will be very intense over central India in the next 4-5 days particularly east Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and west Madhya Pradesh,” said RK Jenamani, senior scientist, national weather forecasting centre, IMD.

The IMD warned that widespread and extremely heavy (over 20 cm) rain is expected over east Rajasthan and west Madhya Pradesh till August 4 with peak activity during July 31 and August 3.

Widespread rain will also continue over Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Haryana till August 4.

The eastern end of the monsoon trough is likely to shift north of its normal position during next 48 hours. Its western end is very likely to remain to the south of its normal position and active during the next 5-6 days.

Widespread rain with isolated heavy falls is very likely over Uttar Pradesh during the next five days while scattered, moderate rainfall is likely over Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab during the next five days, IMD warned.

Widespread and very heavy rain is likely over Odisha, Gangetic West Bengal, Jharkhand and Bihar on Saturday and over East Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh till August 2, the weather agency said.

There is a 1% rain deficiency over the country since June 1 with 3% deficiency over northwest India; 1% excess over central India; 18% excess over peninsular India and 15% deficiency over north and northwest India.

9 killed in West Bengal

Nine people were killed across West Bengal with torrential rain battering several parts of the state, officials said. Two labourers were killed as the water level in a rivulet in the Kalimpong rose due to heavy rains. Three persons were electrocuted in North 24 Parganas. Three others were killed in Murshidabad, Bankura and West Midnapore. In Asansol, a child was killed when a mud wall collapsed due to heavy rain. Meanwhile, Sikkim was cut off from the rest of the country due to landslides.