New Delhi:

Heavy rainfall across large parts of India has compensated for the June deficit, bringing the overall monsoon precipitation into the surplus category.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), more spells of heavy to very heavy rain are likely over northwest India and the western parts of the peninsular India during the next two-three days and over the northeast during the next five days.

India, the world’s top producer of critical crops such as rice, wheat and sugarcane, logged a rainfall deficit of 11 percent in June, with northwest India recording a shortfall of 33 per cent.

Heavy rain in the first week of July compensated for the shortfall but caused flooding in many northeastern states.

Since the four-month monsoon season began on June 1, the country has received 214.9 mm of rainfall against a normal of 213.3 mm, according to IMD data.

Northwest India and the southern peninsula have recorded 3 per cent and 13 per cent above-normal rainfall, respectively.

The heavy rain in the east and northeast region has reduced the deficit from 13 per cent on June 30 to zero on July 6.

The rainfall deficit in central India has decreased from 14 per cent to 6 per cent during this period.

The IMD data showed that 23 per cent of the sub-divisional area of the country experienced excess to large excess rainfall, 67 percent received normal rainfall, and only 10 per cent experienced deficient rainfall.

After making an early onset over Kerala and the northeastern region on May 30, and progressing normally up to Maharashtra, the monsoon lost momentum.

This delayed the rains in West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh and exacerbated the impact of a scorching heatwave in northwest India.

Monsoonal winds stalled from June 10 to June 18 and made slow progress until June 26-27. The annual rain-bearing system covered a major part of northwest India after June 25, according to IMD data.

The weather department on Saturday said heavy rainfall will continue in northeast India over the next five days.

The northeastern states are already grappling with severe floods.

Assam’s flood situation remains critical, with over 2.45 million people affected and 52 lives lost in the second wave of flooding this year.

Heavy rainfall in Manipur, Mizoram, and Arunachal Pradesh has caused rivers to reach warning levels and triggered landslides.

The IMD earlier this week said India could experience above-normal rainfall in July, and heavy rain may lead to floods in the hilly states and river basins in the central parts of the country.

Experts from the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), a Nepal-based intergovernmental organisation, have also warned about a difficult monsoon season for the countries in the Hindukush Himalayan region, including Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Pakistan.

IMD data shows that in 20 out of the 25 years when June rainfall was below normal (less than 92 percent of the long-period average), July rainfall was normal (94-106 percent of LPA) or above normal.

In 17 of the 25 years when June rainfall was below normal, the seasonal rainfall was normal or above normal, the IMD said.

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New Delhi:

The torrential rain that brought Delhi to its knees last week was not a result of a cloudburst, the India Meteorological Department clarified on Monday.

Addressing a press conference, IMD chief Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said the Safdarjung Observatory, the city’s primary weather station, recorded 91 mm rainfall between 5 am and 6 am on June 28.

Similarly, the Lodhi Road weather station logged 64 mm from 5 am to 6 am and 89 mm from 6 am to 7 am.

“These do not warrant to be declared as cloudbursts, but it was very close to a cloudburst,” Mr Mohapatra said.

Explaining the reason behind the extreme weather event, the IMD had earlier said multiple large-scale monsoonal weather systems created conditions for mesoscale convective activity over Delhi NCR, resulting in intense thunderstorms and heavy rainfall during the early hours of June 28.

This activity was supported by thermodynamic instability in the atmosphere, which is favourable for thunderstorms.

The Safdarjung Observatory recorded 228.1 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours ending at 8.30 am on Friday, more than three times the June rainfall average of 74.1 mm and the highest for the month in 88 years — since 1936.

The IMD defines very heavy rain as rainfall amounting to between 124.5 and 244.4 mm in a day.

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New Delhi:

The India Meteorological Department on Monday informed that Cyclone Remal over Coastal Bangladesh and adjoining Coastal West Bengal moved nearly northwards, with a speed of 15 kilometres per hour.

“The Cyclonic Storm ‘Remal’ over Coastal Bangladesh and adjoining Coastal West Bengal moved nearly northwards, with a speed of 15 kmph during the past 6 hours and lay centred at 08:30 hrs IST of today over the same region,” IMD posted on X.

According to the IMD, the severe cyclonic storm Remal has weakened into a cyclonic storm in the early hours of Monday and is expected to gradually weaken further.

“Severe Cyclonic Storm Remal over Coastal Bangladesh and adjoining Coastal West Bengal weakened into Cyclonic Storm at 0530hrs of the 27 May about 70km northeast of Canning and 30km west-southwest of Mongla. The system is likely to gradually weaken further,” IMD posted on X earlier.

Following the weakening of cyclone Remal, the flight operations resumed at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata.

“Flight operations resumed at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata at 0859 hrs, after it was closed for flight operation yesterday in view of the #CycloneRemal,” the official X handle of Kolkata Airport posted.

A passenger Debali Datta said, “I had my flight yesterday which got delayed. The airport authority informed me that it will depart today. This is because of the cyclone. Since we got to know beforehand, it did not create a lot of trouble for us.”

West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose with the Raj Bhavan task force also went on a field visit after cyclone Remal made landfall yesterday night.

“Raj Bhavan task force has just returned from the field visit. We are all greatly relieved that no reported casualty is there. Remal cyclone is weakening and the people of Bengal have been able to brave it with fortitude and courage. We are watching in case there is any need for any help. Raj Bhavan task force is ready. I thank the entire people of West Bengal for the solidarity which they have expressed,” Bose said.

Following the landfall of cyclonic storm ‘Remal’, waterlogging has been witnessed in parts of Kolkata with heavy rain.

Several trees were also uprooted in Kolkata’s Alipore area as heavy rain and gusty winds lashed several parts of West Bengal.

The IMD earlier informed that the storm ‘Remal’ would continue to move nearly northwards for some more time and then north-northeastwards and weaken gradually into a Cyclonic Storm.

The cyclone moved northwards and crossed the Bangladesh and adjoining West Bengal Coasts between Sagar Islands and Khepupara close to southwest of Mongla, said IMD.

“The Severe Cyclonic Storm ‘Remal’ over the North Bay of Bengal moved nearly northwards, with a speed of 13 kmph during past 06 hours, crossed Bangladesh and adjoining West Bengal Coasts between Sagar Islands and Khepupara close to southwest of Mongla near Latitude 21.75N and Longitude 89.2E between 22:30 hrs IST of 26th May to 00:30 hrs IST of 27th May 2024 as a Severe Cyclonic Storm with wind speed of 110 to 120 Kmph gusting to 135 Kmph,” said IMD in a post on X.

“It lay centred at 01:30 hrs IST of today, the 27th May, 2024 over Coastal Bangladesh and adjoining Coastal West Bengal, near latitude 21.9N and longitude 89,2E about 115 km east of Sagar Islands (West Bengal), 105 km west-southwest of Khepupara (Bangladesh), 70 km southeast of Canning (West Bengal) and SO km south-southwest of Mongla (Bangladesh), The system would continue to move nearly northwards for some more time and then north-northeastwards and weaken gradually into a Cyclonic Storm by morning of 27,” added the post.

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New Delhi:

An intense heatwave prevailing over eastern and southern peninsular India is set to subside soon. While the eastern region may get relief by today, the southern states may have to wait for another day, according to a forecast by the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

A wet spell accompanied by thunderstorms and gusty winds is also likely over these regions till May 10, the weather office said.

Temperatures have been soaring above 40 degrees every day with a severe heatwave sweeping across these two regions since last month. On the last day of April, Kolkata recorded its highest temperature in 50 years at 43 degrees.

As the East and the South gets a relief, a fresh heatwave spell is likely to sweep over western India, covering Gujarat, Rajasthan and western Madhya Pradesh during the next five days.

In the Northeast, rainfall and thunderstorms are likely to continue till tomorrow.

The Khasi-Jaintia Hills region in Meghalaya has been receiving heavy rains since yesterday. Several houses were damaged and over 400 people were affected by the rains. It will continue for another 48 hours, the IMD said.

New Delhi:

The Indian Metrological Department (IMD) on Saturday said that it has issued a red alert for Odisha and Gangetic West Bengal due to severe heatwave conditions in this part.

Soma Sen Roy, senior scientist at IMD, said that severe heatwave conditions have been prevailing in Gangetic West Bengal for many days and hence a red alert has been issued.

“Severe heatwave conditions are also being faced in Odisha, especially in North Odisha, although not like in West Bengal but severe enough for many days and hence a red alert has been issued for this part too,” she said.

She further added that currently the temperature is very elevated and above normal in eastern and peninsular India.

Heatwave conditions are also prevailing in east India, South Peninsular India, and northern parts of Kerala. IMD has issued Orange alert for East India, like Bihar and Jharkhand, and a Yellow alert for Eastern Uttar Pradesh and northern parts of Kerala

Speaking about the sudden change in the weather in the northern parts of the country, the IMD scientists said that there were a lot of thunderstorms in some parts, including Delhi.

“Yesterday there was a lot of thunderstorm activity but today we are not expecting so much weather over the North Indian Plains. Mainly, in the Western Himalayan region, thunderstorms, as well as heavy rains, are likely to continue over Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh; hence, an orange alert has been issued there. A yellow alert is issued for Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, etc. We are expecting thunderstorm activity to again enhance, especially over North-West India, from the day after tomorrow, which is April 29, 2024,” she informed.

Soma Sen Roy further added that there will be no effect of western disturbances in East India and heatwave conditions will continue to be in the eastern region.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)