Nature’s fury unleashed: 41-year rainfall record shattered as north India battles monsoon mayhem

North India is grappling with catastrophic consequences as a result of unprecedented monsoon rainfall over the weekend. The downpour, shattering a 41-year record for the highest rainfall in a single day in Delhi, has led to flash floods and landslides.

As reported, at least 22 lives have been lost due to the relentless rain and subsequent calamities. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), this intense pattern is forecasted to persist across northern parts including Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan in the coming two days.

The reported deaths comprise 17 fatalities in the hilly regions of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and J&K, while around five occurred in the plains of UP, Delhi, Punjab, and Rajasthan. With Himachal Pradesh still under the onslaught of heavy rains, the IMD issued a red alert for seven districts and an orange alert for three districts for the ensuing 48 hours.

Record-breaking monsoon rainfall in north India triggers flash floods and landslides. Photo courtesy of Joseph Thomas from Pixabay.

Moderate to heavy showers are anticipated in several regions over the next two days. These include the western Himalayan region, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, as well as Konkan, Goa, the ghat areas of Maharashtra and Gujarat in Western India. After this period, however, the IMD expects the rainfall intensity to decrease.

In its further forecasts, the IMD indicated that areas like sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim, Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, and Nagaland are likely to experience heavy to very heavy rainfall over the next five days. Isolated heavy rainfall is also projected over Odisha during the same period, while it’s anticipated in Jharkhand between July 10 and July 12, and in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Bihar.

The IMD also highlighted that Central India, particularly Madhya Pradesh, could expect heavy rainfall during the next five days. In South India, isolated heavy rainfall is very likely in coastal Karnataka and Kerala.