New Delhi, Aug 25: Travellers across several parts of India may face difficult journeys this week as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) warned of heavy to very heavy rainfall, flash floods, landslides and disruptions to road and rail traffic.
The weather office said a low-pressure area over Gangetic West Bengal and adjoining Jharkhand and north Odisha is likely to move nearly northwestwards across Jharkhand and north Odisha during the next 24 hours, triggering widespread rainfall and spells of heavy to very heavy rain in several regions.
Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh are likely to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places on August 25, while Madhya Pradesh may continue to witness similar conditions on August 26.
Heavy rain is also expected at isolated places over Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, East Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi, Vidarbha, Madhya Maharashtra and parts of the Northeast and southern India.
The Northeast is likely to experience prolonged wet conditions. Arunachal Pradesh may receive fairly widespread to widespread rainfall on August 25-26 and again from August 29-31, while Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura are expected to witness widespread rain between August 27 and 30.
In the Himalayan region, Uttarakhand is forecast to receive fairly widespread to widespread rainfall throughout August 25-31, with isolated heavy rain likely from August 29-31. Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh are also expected to receive rainfall during the week.
Rainfall activity will remain strong in parts of western and southern India as well. Konkan and Goa are likely to receive widespread rain through August 30, while Coastal Karnataka may witness widespread rainfall through August 31. Kerala and Lakshadweep are expected to remain wet from August 25 to 28.
Thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds are also likely over parts of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep. Wind speeds may reach 50-60 kmph in some areas.
The IMD has flagged a low to moderate flash-flood risk over parts of East and West Madhya Pradesh, East Uttar Pradesh, Nagaland and Manipur during the 24 hours ending at 5:30 am on August 26.
“Very heavy rain could lead to waterlogging, flooding, landslides, reduced visibility and disruption to road and rail traffic,” the IMD warned.
The weather office said further rainfall over already saturated ground could result in surface runoff and inundation, particularly in low-lying areas.
In view of the adverse weather conditions, the IMD advised that “tourism and recreational activities” be regulated in affected areas.
The forecast comes as several parts of the country continue to experience monsoon-related disruptions, prompting travellers to monitor local weather alerts and road conditions before undertaking journeys.
