After a nine-day lull, the monsoon resumed its advance on Thursday, bringing much-needed rain to several states and prompting the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to issue an 'Orange' alert for heavy to very heavy rainfall in parts of Maharashtra. Meanwhile, Delhi is grappling with the devastating effects of a severe heatwave, which has led to 17 heat-related deaths in the last 24 hours.
IMD Issues 'Orange' Alert For Heavy Rain In Maharashtra
The monsoon, which had been largely stagnant for nine days, advanced into additional parts of Vidarbha, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Northwest Bay of Bengal, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal, and some areas of Bihar, according to IMD. The northern limit of the southwest monsoon now crosses through Amravati, Gondia, Durg, Rampur (Kalahandi), Malda, Bhagalpur and Raxaul.
Isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall has been predicted for Konkan & Goa and the areas of Maharashtra from June 20 to 24, and Gujarat on June 20 and 23.
The IMD reported that conditions were favorable for the monsoon to progress further into the North Arabian Sea, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, the Northwest Bay of Bengal, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal, and some areas of Bihar within the next three to four days.
Northeast To Face Heavy Rainfall
The Met Department's forecast indicated isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall in sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim, Assam, Meghalaya, and Arunachal Pradesh over the next five days. Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura were expected to see isolated heavy rainfall on June 22 and 23.
Moderate Rainfall In Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha
Fairly widespread light to moderate rainfall, accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds (30-40 kmph), was predicted over Gangetic West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands for the next five days. Bihar is likely to experience isolated heavy rainfall from June 20 to 24, Jharkhand on June 20 and 21, and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands on June 23 and 24, with very heavy rainfall likely in Bihar on June 20.
Heavy Rainfall Predicted For Southern Part
Fairly widespread to light to moderate rainfall with thunderstorms, lighting, and gusty winds expected over Karnataka, Kerala & Mahe, and Lakshadweep. Scattered rainfall is likely in Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Yanam, Telangana, and Puducherry over the next five days.
Coastal Karnataka is likely to witness extremely heavy rainfall on June 22 and 23, and Konkan & Goa, Kerala & Mahe on June 23.
Some Relief For Central, Northern India
In central India, scattered to fairly widespread rainfall with thunderstorms, lighting, and gusty winds is expected over Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha and Chhattisgarh over the next five days,
Northern India is forecasted to experience scattered light to moderate rainfall with thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds in Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, West Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan.
Scattered to fairly widespread rainfall was expected for Uttarakhand and East Uttar Pradesh over the next seven days.
Delhi Reports 17 Heat-Related Deaths In 24 Hours
At least 17 were killed due to suspected heat-related illness at Delhi's RML and Sardarjung hospitals within the last 24 hours, news agency PTI reported on Thursday citing officials.
Delhi has been facing extreme heatwave conditions in recent days but experienced some relief with light rain on Thursday morning. Hospitals in the city have seen an increase in casualties and patients due to heatstroke.
As per the PTI report, Safdarjung Hospital admitted 33 patients suffering from heat-related illness, with 13 deaths reported in the last 24 hours. Ram Manohar Lohia received 22 patients with suspected heatstroke, causing four deaths, the report said.