Weather Updates: Parts Of Delhi Receive Rainfall; Dharwad Schools Shut Amid Heavy Rains, Waterlogged Roads in K'taka

A partly cloudy sky, a drizzle and hail brought temporary relief to some parts of the city in the evening. A cyclonic circulation persisting over Punjab and Haryana will lead to intermittent thundershowers on Saturday, weather forecasters said. A fresh western disturbance will lead to rain and thunderstorms in northwest India starting Sunday. As a result, the maximum temperature in Delhi will drop to 37 degrees Celsius by Tuesday. “Back-to-back western disturbances will continue to give intermittent respite from the heat. No heatwave is likely for a week,” said Mahesh Palawat, vice-president (meteorology and climate change) at Skymet, a private weather forecasting agency.

Fresh landslides halted rescue operations at the site of a collapsed under-construction tunnel on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway in Ramban district after a portion of a nearby mountain crashed. Operations were underway by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) to rescue nine workers trapped in the debris when a portion of a mountain crashed after shooting stones and falling boulders were reported, triggered by rains. READ MORE

Parts of Delhi receive light rain, bringing some respite from the scorching heat over the past few days.

The India Meteorological Department on Friday issued a “yellow alert” forecasting isolated heavy rainfall in nine districts of Kerala for the day as the southern state continued to receive good showers. The ‘yellow alert’ was issued in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur, Malappuram and Kozhikode districts. A ‘yellow alert’ means heavy rainfall between 6 to 11 cm. “Heavy (711 cm in 24 hours) rain is very likely at one or two places over Kerala from 20th May to 22nd May,” according to the IMD. Thunderstorms, along with lightning, are very likely to occur at one or two places over Kerala and Lakshadweep for two days from today, it added.

Weather remained partly cloudy in J&K during the last 24 hours as the Meteorological (MeT) department forecast on Friday rain, thunderstorms at many places during the next 24 hours. A MeT department statement said, “Today, Rain/Thunderstorm is expected at many places of Kashmir and at scattered places of Jammu especially hilly areas. “Same weather is likely to prevail for the next few days. Intermittent rain/thunderstorms likely at many places of J&K during 21-24th.

India is witnessing an unprecedented heatwave. The mercury touched 50 degrees Celsius last Sunday in parts of Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. Similarly, Mumbai is facing an unexpected surge in heat. These incidents clearly point at the climate crisis in India. To deal with this crisis, it is essential to go back to basics. In India, the discussion on air pollution, which is one of the most critical factors behind climate change, is restricted to the National Capital Region, and particularly Delhi. The need of the hour is to bring together all the states and formulate a comprehensive year-round plan along with achievable targets to combat pollution. READ MORE

Food grain and fuel supplies to Mizoram have been hit due to flood and landslides in Assam and Meghalaya. However, they said there is nothing to worry about as the Mizoram government was making all-out efforts to bring in supplies from other states. Long queues of vehicles were seen at some filling stations in several parts of the state since Wednesday. The state government had on Monday ordered rationing on the purchase of petrol for two-wheelers and light motor vehicles. The ceiling for two-wheelers was fixed at five litres and 10 litres for light motor vehicles.

One person has drowned in Kampur flood in Assam. The victim had gone for fishing and drowned in the flood water. The NDRF has started a rescue operation to locate the person.

The flood condition in Kampur in Assam remains unchanged as Kapili river is drowing hundreds of villages and thousands of people. The road has connectivity completely snapped and thousands of huts remain submerged under water. Meanwhile, the NDRF and SDRF are carrying out rescue missions in the flood-affected areas.

Holiday has been declared in all schools and colleges across Dharwad district in Karnataka today due to continuous rainfall.

Delhi is likely to experience strong surface winds on Friday, the Indian Meteorological Department said, even as the national capital continued to reel under hot conditions. The maximum temperature on Thursday was recorded at 43.6 degrees Celsius, three notches above normal, while the minimum temperature was recorded at 27.5 degrees Celsius, a notch above normal. The weatherman has forecast partly cloudy skies through the day with possibility of thundery developments towards evening. There will be strong surface winds of the speed of 20-30 kilometre per hour on Friday. The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to settle around 44 degrees Celsius and 29 degrees Celsius.

The Meghalaya government has asked its Food and Civil Supplies Department to ensure that the prices of essential commodities and vegetables do not exceed in the wake of the devastating floods in neighbouring Assam. Talking to reporters on Thursday, Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong said, “As far as essential commodities are concerned, we are ready to make sure that the prices do not go up and we have already instructed the Food and Civil supplies department to take care of this issue.”

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Thursday issued an Orange alert in 12 districts of Kerala for the day as the state continued to receive heavy rainfall. The IMD issued an Orange alert in all the districts of Kerala except for Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam for Thursday. The Kerala State Disaster Management Authority said cyclonic circulation over northern Tamil Nadu and adjoining areas would lead to isolated very heavy rainfall in several parts of the southern state. The Central Meteorological Department, on Wednesday, had predicted isolated heavy and very heavy rainfall in the state for the next 2 days and heavy rainfall for the two days after that.

Assam Forest Minister Parimal Suklabaidya Wednesday said that 40 new scientifically designed highlands have been constructed to save the wildlife of Kaziranga National Park and other forests and to provide them shelter during floods in the state. Suklabaidya said the forest department is in a state of “complete preparedness” to rescue animals from the ongoing floods in Kaziranga and other national parks and wildlife sanctuaries across the state.