Heavy rain batters several states; 10 dead in Uttar Pradesh, Char Dham Yatra halted
Ten people were killed and 17 injured in rain-related incidents in Uttar Pradesh as heavy rain disrupted life across several states, prompting alerts and halting the Char Dham Yatra.
Large swathes of India continued to reel under heavy rainfall on Saturday, with waterlogging, transport disruption and rain-related casualties reported from several states. The weather system over central India has hit Uttar Pradesh particularly hard, while Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh also remained in the grip of intense weather activity.
In Delhi, light rain and thunderstorms brought temperatures below normal. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a yellow alert for the capital. Safdarjung, the city's primary weather station, recorded a minimum temperature of 23.2 degrees Celsius — 0.7 degrees below normal and a degree lower than the previous day. More rain and thunderstorms are expected.
Uttar Pradesh was among the worst affected. Sixty-three districts recorded above-normal rainfall, and the state received 19 times its normal rainfall in the 24 hours ending Saturday. Heavy rain, thunderstorms and strong winds damaged standing crops and 117 houses. Ten people were killed and 17 injured in rain-related incidents.
Lucknow recorded 125.8 mm of rainfall in the 21 hours ending Saturday morning. Banda received 227.6 mm, Fatehgarh 224 mm, Nanpara 217 mm and Hardoi 214 mm in the 24 hours ending 8.30 am.
The depression over northeast Madhya Pradesh and adjoining north Chhattisgarh was moving towards southeast Uttar Pradesh and was expected to weaken into a well-marked low-pressure area. The IMD warned of heavy to very heavy rainfall in several parts of the state, with isolated extremely heavy rain possible in the central Terai region. Some watersheds in central and Terai Uttar Pradesh faced a light to moderate risk of flash floods.
In Uttarakhand, heavy rain disrupted normal life and the Char Dham Yatra was suspended till September 27. Schools were shut in five districts as the IMD issued red and orange alerts for several parts of the state. Authorities remained on alert amid continuing inclement weather.
Himachal Pradesh's higher reaches in Kinnaur witnessed the season's first snowfall, while Shimla and Dharamshala received light rain. The Shimla Meteorological Centre has forecast continuous rain across the state till September 29, after which the intensity is expected to decrease. An orange alert was issued for Sirmaur, while yellow alerts were issued for Shimla, Kangra, Kullu, Mandi, Solan, Bilaspur and Sirmaur.
In Jharkhand, torrential rain inundated low-lying areas, affecting road movement and pushing rivers above danger levels. The Subernarekha was flowing 2.02 metres above the danger level in East Singhbhum, while the Kharkai was 4.50 metres above the danger mark. Several schools remained closed and six flights were cancelled at Birsa Munda Airport in Ranchi.
Chhattisgarh also remained affected, with waterlogging and track subsidence disrupting train services in the Durg-Dallirajhara section. Several trains were cancelled or short-terminated as a precaution.
In West Bengal, rainfall intensity across south Bengal was expected to decrease from Sunday as the weather system influencing the region moved away. Most areas were likely to remain largely dry, with isolated light showers and thunderstorms possible. North Bengal districts including Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Jalpaiguri had been under a yellow alert for heavy rainfall.