Weather News July 26: IMD Issues Orange Rain Alert For 8 Maharashtra Districts; Yellow Alert For Mumbai

Here are the top highlights from July 25:

• Heavy Flooding, Landslides In Pune; NDRF Teams Deployed For Rescue Ops

• Airport Operations Hit In Mumbai Amid Incessant Rainfall

• Drone To Detect Buried Objects Deployed In Karnataka Amid Rescue Ops At Landslide Site

• Amid Heavy Showers In Pune, Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde Said People Will Be Airlifted If Needed

All schools and Anganwadi centres in Dehradun will remain closed on July 26 in view of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) issuing an 'orange' alert for heavy rain in the district.

District Magistrate Sonika said, "The decision was taken as a precautionary measure to prevent any untoward incidents as rain increases the vulnerability of many areas in the district to landslides."

The meteorological department in Jaipur informed that heavy rains lashed parts of eastern Rajasthan on Thursday, whereas several other places received light showers.

The met office forcasted that rainfall is likely to continue in many parts of eastern Rajasthan and some parts of Bikaner division of western Rajasthan in the next four to five days.

Director of Jaipur Meteorological Centre Radheshyam Sharma said a cyclonic circulation system has formed over north-west Uttar Pradesh, due to which the monsoon trough line passed through Ganganagar, Jaipur yesterday.

He said rainfall is likely to continue in many parts of eastern Rajasthan and some parts of Bikaner division of western Rajasthan in the next four to five days due to the effect of the cyclonic circulation system.

Among the four people who died in Pune, two people are feared trapped in one of the three bungalows buried under debris after a landslide in Lavasa on Thursday morning.

Pune fire brigade officials said two people are feared drowned in Katraj and Nanayan Peth area.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a 'red alert' for Pune district and asked people to take precautions.

Schools and colleges in most parts of the district have declared a holiday in view of the heavy rainfall warning.

In a post on X, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation notified that the weather and rainfall in Mumbai were normal at present which has allowed life in the metropolitan city to proceed smoothly.

They said, "As a result, all schools and colleges in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) area will remain open on a regular basis tomorrow, Friday, 26th July 2024. Parents are humbly requested not to believe any other information or rumors regarding school and college holidays and to rely only on official information from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation."

"The civic administration urges citizens to stay in touch with the management of the concerned schools and colleges for more information," it added.

Heavy early morning rainfall causes waterlogging at several places in Delhi. Waterlogging in areas including Shivaji Stadium Metro Station, Nyay Marg, Parliament Street area and Mother Teresa Crescent was witnessed today.

In view of heavy rainfall in parts of western Maharashtra, the state government has urged Karnataka to release more water from Almatti dam to avoid flooding in Sangli and Kolhapur districts, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said on Thursday.

Almatti dam, officially known as Lal Bahadur Shastri dam, is a hydroelectric project on the Krishna river in north Karnataka.

Speaking to reporters, he said, "The Maharashtra government has asked Karnataka to increase the water discharge from Almatti dam to three lakh cusec from the current outflow of 2.5 lakh cusec."

During his tour of the district in the afternoon, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said as a precautionary measure, Army teams have been deployed at Ekta Nagar in Sinhagad Road, while NDRF personnel are also in the area.

"NDRF teams have been deployed at 18 locations, while six SDRF teams are stationed in Kurla and Ghatkopar in Mumbai, as well as Thane, Raigad, Palghar, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Satara and Sangli," Pawar told reporters.

Pawar said, as per the IMD's forecast for the next five days, some districts have been issued orange alert, while it is yellow alert for other areas.

The Pune district administration announced holiday for the schools on Friday in Bhor, Velha, Maval, Mulshi, Haveli, Ambedgaon, Junnar tehsils as well as Pimpri Chinchwad.

Shivajinagar in Pune city received 114 mm of rainfall in 24 hours ending at 8.30 am on Thursday, the third-highest in a single day in 66 years, according to India Meteorological Department.

IMD said at 130.4 mm, the highest 24-hour July rainfall in Shivajinagar in central Pune was recorded on July 19, 1958, followed by 117.9 mm on July 27, 1967.

Citing data from the Shivajinagar weather station, officials said the area received 114 mm of rain between 8.30 am on Wednesday and 8.30 am on Thursday.

Rains in several parts of Madhya Pradesh on Thursday caused water-logging, while the India Meteorological Department forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall with thunderstorm and lightning on Friday as well.

The sluice gates of some dams were opened to manage the water level, officials said.

Some videos circulating on social media showed flooded drains. In Katni district, railway staff patrolling flooded tracks were seen guiding the driver of a locomotive.

The movement of five trains were affected on the South Western Railway due to a landslide between Dudhsagar and Sonaulim sections on the Goa-Karnataka border shortly after Thursday midnight, an official said on Friday.

The track was also closed after a tree fell between Londa and Tinaighat (Karnataka side of the border) affecting the overhead power supply.

South Western Railway’s Chief Public Relations Officer Dr Manjunath Kanamadi said that both incidents were reported at 0.55 am on Friday, and the train traffic resumed around 6 am after clearing the debris and the fallen tree.

The official said that Train No 17310, which arrived at 1 am at Sonaulim was backed to Kulem station (in Goa), while Train No 17419 was regulated at Londa (Karnataka) from 01.40 am onwards.

Train No. 17309 was regulated at Alnavar station (Karnataka) from 01.55 am onwards, while Train 12780 was regulated at Belagavi (Karnataka) from 01.35 am onwards. Vasco-Jasidih Express (17321) was rescheduled to leave from Vasco at 07.50 am, he said.

After the tracks were cleared, Train No. 17419 departed from Londa at 06.00 am and Train 17309 left Alnavar at 06.05 am, he said.

- PTI

Waterlogging witnessed at Connaught Place outer circle following heavy rains this morning along with Mehrauli Badarpur road, Shanti path and Shivaji Stadium Metro Station.

Nearly 3,000 people living in low-lying areas in and around Gujarat’s Vadodara city were shifted to safer places after the Vishwamitri river crossed the danger mark of 25 feet on Thursday morning, said officials.

After heavy rains battered Vadodara on Wednesday, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel reviewed relief and rescue operations in the city and district through videoconferencing on Thursday, they said.

The CM was informed that Vadodara city received close to 14 inch (nearly 355 mm) of rain on Wednesday, which resulted in waterlogging in many parts of the city, said a government release.

Incessant rainfall causes flood-like situation in Gujarat's Surat on Friday.

In its fresh forecast, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Thursday said several parts of the state would receive heavy to very heavy rains over the next two days due to “active monsoon over Gujarat and Saurashtra-Kutch region”.

In a release, IMD said “heavy to very heavy rains” would occur mostly in the south Gujarat region and predicted “heavy rains” at isolated places in Banaskantha, Mehsana, Gandhinagar, Vadodara, Narmada, Bharuch, Dahod, Mahisagar and Kheda districts.

South and Central Gujarat regions received moderate rains during the day.

Mumbai University's Director of Examination and Evaluation Board Pooja Roudale announced that the exams which were scheduled on July 26 for Raigad and Ratnagiri districts have been postponed due to heavy rains alert by IMD.

The university mentioned that they took the decision to avoid any inconvenience to students and they will announce new dates soon.

IMD, Bhopal centre, scientist BS Yadava explained the current weather condition in Madhya Pradesh and informed about the rain in the state over last 24 hours.

He said, "The state is witnessing good rainfall due to the developments happened because of low pressure. In the last 24 hours, 12 districts have been issued orange alert and heavy rainfall alert has been issued in 10 districts."

All 14 crew members from a tugboat that went adrift in the Arabian Sea off Maharashtra’s Alibag coast have been rescued on Friday.

The rescue operation of the crew from the small carrier operated by JSW Group was launched with the help of the Coast Guard, he said.

A chopper of the Coast Guard has been engaged in the operation, which was started around 9 am and eight crew members of the tugboat were rescued initially and then they evacuated the remaining six crew members.

Police had said that the tugboat was near the Kolaba fort off the Alibag coast in Raigad district when it drifted after its engine stopped functioning.

Heavy to very heavy rainfall occurred in the past 24 hours up until 8:30 AM IST on July 26, 2024 in Maharshtra with extremely heavy downpours in Satara, Pune and Kolhapur districts.

Heavy overnight rain flooded the Balganga river in the Boodha Kedar area of Uttarakhand's Tehri Garhwal district on Friday with the river water gushing into homes, inundating fields and damaging roads and bridges.

Heavy rain lashed the Jakhana, Toli and Genwali areas around midnight, causing a flash flood in the Balganga, which inundated roadside fields and homes, District Magistrate Mayur Dikshit said.

Some shops in villages were also damaged by the floodwater, he said.

However, there were no casualties as people living in houses close to the riverbanks quickly moved to safer locations, Dikshit added.

In a post on X, Delhi Police said, "Traffic is affected on Ring Road in both the carriageways from Moti Bagh towards Naraina an vice-versa due to waterlogging and breakdown of an MGV under Dhaula Kuan Flyover. Kindly avoid the stretches."

Heavy rains have inundated roads near Saket metro station in Delhi. Traffic has also been affected due to the waterlogging.

The Olympic 2024 opening ceremony's parade of athletes on the Seine River could be impacted by rain, as Paris faces unsettled weather today, July 26.

Meteo-France predicted overcast skies this afternoon and light rain earlier in the day.

While conditions are expected to improve later, there is a warning that showers may affect the Paris region during the evening, potentially influencing the ceremony's presentation.

Heavy rain and landslides halted the yatra to Madmaheshwar Temple in Uttarakhand, leaving at least 50 pilgrims and locals stranded near the shrine.

According to India Today report, a temporary wooden bridge over the Markanda River was swept away by the continuous rain, further disrupting access to the temple.

Normal life is affected in parts of Navsari affected by severe waterlogging due to incessant rainfall in the area.

District Collector Kshipra S. Agre today inspected shelter homes set up for the affected

After inspection Agre said, "110 people have been rescued and shifted to shelter house here. Municipal Corporation, Police and Administration are working together and urging people to shift to shelter homes as a precaution."

A bus skidded off the road and fell on the banks of the Beas river near Himachal Pradesh's Manali on Friday, leaving eight people injured, police said.

The bus with 12 people on board was on its way to Pathankot from Manali when the accident took place.

Locals rushed to the spot and immediately alerted authorities. The police along with locals started the rescue operation and transported the injured to nearby hospitals.

A car was also damaged in the accident.

A case has been registered and further investigations are underway.

The India Meteorological Department in a post on X issued a notification that isolated extremely heavy rainfall very likely to continue over Ghat areas of Madhya Maharashtra, Konkan & Goa and Gujarat region today and the intensity will reduce gradually in the next two days days.

IMD also said very heavy rainfall likely to continue over Central India during next two days.

More than 2,000 people were relocated from inundated areas as the Panchaganga river started flowing above the danger mark in western Maharashtra's Kolhapur district, an official said on Friday.

According to the Kolhapur district administration, the water level of the Panchaganga river at Rajaram Wier was 45.2 feet, well above the danger mark of 43 feet, at noon on Friday.

Talking to PTI, Kolhapur collector Amol Yedge said the district administration has started relocating people from the affected areas of Sutarwada and Kumbharwada in the city.

The administration has relocated people from Chikhli and Ambewadi in Karveer tehsil and some villages in Hatkalangane, Shirol and Ichalkarangi tehsils, he said.

"More than 2,000 people have been relocated and placed in shelter homes in the district so far," Yedge said.

Several people were trapped near Gondar on Madmaheshwar trek in Rudraprayag district and a team of SDRF led by Inspector Anirudh Bhandari has reached a place called Nanu, 5 km below Madmaheshwar, via helicopter.

There are about 25 to 30 people there.

So far 10 people have been rescued and sent to a safe place via helicopter.

The rest of the people will also be rescued soon and taken to a safe place. Another team of SDRF has reached the spot via foot from Post Agastyamuni.

Uttarakhand Police tweets, "Due to the rising water level of the Yamuna river late at night, it has been reported that some buildings in Shri Yamunotri Dham and Janakichatti area have been damaged and debris has fallen in the parking. Relief and rescue operations are underway by the police, SDRF and district administration. At present, the water level of the river is normal, there is no report of loss of life."

Typhoon Gaemi has weakened to a severe tropical storm and headed toward inland China on Friday after making landfall the previous evening on the east coast.

The storm felled trees, flooded streets and damaged crops in China but there were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage. Five people died in Taiwan, which Gaemi crossed at typhoon strength on Thursday before heading over open waters to China.

The worst loss of life, however, was in a country that Gaemi earlier passed by but didn't strike directly: the Philippines. A steadily climbing death toll has reached 32, authorities there said on Friday.

- AP

Over 2,500 people were shifted out of their homes as several villages were inundated due to heavy rains in south Gujarat, officials said on Friday.

At least 2,200 people were relocated from villages and low-lying areas in Navsari, while 500 persons were evacuated in neighbouring Tapi district following heavy rains in 24 hours, they said.

"Purna River passing through Navsari district has been flowing at 28 feet, well above the danger mark of 23 feet, due to heavy rains in the district and its upstream basin in 24 hours," Navsari collector Kshipra Agre told reporters.

Monsoon is likely to remain active for the next one week, the weather office here said on Friday, even as several districts in Rajasthan witnessed heavy rainfall in the past 24 hours.

Till 8.30 am, heavy rain was recorded at some places in the districts of Karauli, Tonk, Sawai Madhopur, Jaipur, Jhalawar, Kota, Banswara, Bhilwara, Bharatpur and Nagaur, according to the Meteorological Centre, Jaipur.

Some places in Banswara, Bundi and Bharatpur districts were lashed with heavy rainfall, it said.

Union Minister Murlidhar Mohol on Friday said information about the water discharge from Khadakwasla dam should have been given in advance to people living in the low-lying Sinhgad Road area, which experienced flooding as rains wreaked havoc in Pune.

The Pune Lok Sabha MP, who flew in from Delhi on Thursday to take stock of the flood situation, interacted with residents of the flood-hit Ekta Nagar in the Sinhgad Road area.

Amid incessant showers in the catchment areas, the irrigation department discharged 35,000 cusecs of water from the Khadakwasla Dam, causing major flooding in Ekta Nagar, located adjacent to the Mutha River, in which the water was released. (PTI Inputs)

Mumbai's Powai lake is filled to the brim following heavy rains in the region from the last couple of days.

Kashmir is in the grip of a heatwave with day temperatures at various places soaring to record-high, even as Meteorological Department (MeT) officials said that the scorching conditions were expected to persist.

The Valley has been experiencing rising temperatures and scorching heat over the past few weeks, leading to water shortages in many areas.

Private firms Sumit company and BVG announced that they are committing a certain number of workers for the proposed clean up drive, HT reported. Sumit company is ready to provide 500 employees and BVG will allocate 100 employees for cleaning exercise.

The flood situation in Assam further improved on Friday as the number of affected people dipped to around 56,000 in seven districts, an official bulletin said.

The Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) bulletin said that the only major river that was flowing above the danger level was Disang at Nanglamuraghat.

It said the number of people affected by the deluge was 56,763 in 173 villages in seven districts.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for Raigad, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Pune, and Satara districts of Maharashtra for Saturday, indicating the possibility of heavy to very heavy showers, while Mumbai saw a lull in rain activity on Friday.

After nearly two days of intense showers, Mumbai was largely rain-free and the IMD has issued a yellow alert for the financial capital and adjoining Thane district for Saturday, predicting heavy showers in isolated areas.

According to the IMD, an orange alert has also been issued for the Chandrapur, Gondia, and Gadchiroli districts.

The districts with orange alerts are expected to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places.

There is no orange alert for any district of Maharashtra from July 28 to 30, the IMD said.