Rainfall activity remained elevated across parts of north and east India on Sunday, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) warning of isolated very heavy rain over Uttarakhand, west Uttar Pradesh and sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim.
The latest IMD bulletin also forecast isolated heavy rainfall over east Rajasthan, Haryana-Chandigarh-Delhi, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab during the day. Heavy rain is expected to continue over parts of Uttar Pradesh over the next few days.
The warnings follow very heavy rainfall across Uttarakhand and west Uttar Pradesh during the 24 hours ended 8.30 am Sunday. Jaspur in Uttarakhand and Bijnor in west Uttar Pradesh received 13 cm each, while Chandpur in Bijnor recorded 12 cm, according to IMD data.
Heavy rain was also recorded at isolated places across Haryana, east Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and sub-Himalayan West Bengal over the next upcoming days.
Uttarakhand, west UP face highest near-term risk
For northwest India, Uttarakhand and west Uttar Pradesh face some of the strongest near-term warnings. IMD expects fairly widespread to widespread rainfall over Uttarakhand, with very heavy rainfall possible at isolated places on Sunday.
West Uttar Pradesh is also likely to receive widespread rain during the day, while east Uttar Pradesh remains under a heavy-rain warning into the coming week.
IMD has also flagged a low-to-moderate flash-flood risk across parts of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. Districts under watch include Dehradun, Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Uttarkashi and Nainital in Uttarakhand, along with Shimla and Sirmaur in Himachal Pradesh.
Delhi-NCR rain continues; building collapses in Satya Niketan
Delhi and adjoining Haryana also remain under a heavy-rain warning after repeated spells triggered waterlogging and traffic disruption across the National Capital Region over the previous two days.
On Saturday, Delhi’s Safdarjung station recorded 29.88 mm of rain between 8.30 am and 5.30 pm, while Chhattarpur received 39.5 mm, according to IMD data cited by The Indian Express. Gurgaon and Noida recorded 27 mm and 22.5 mm, respectively.
Separately, a building collapsed near Satya Niketan in Delhi’s Moti Bagh area on Sunday afternoon, with several people feared trapped under the debris. Eight fire tenders were sent to the site and rescue operations were underway, according to The Indian Express.
The cause of the collapse had not been officially established at the time of reporting, making it premature to link the incident directly to the rainfall.
Sikkim landslide raises river concerns
In Sikkim, a landslide during the intervening night of September 5 and 6 partially blocked the Teesta and Chyakoong rivers near their confluence in Mangan district.
A substantial section of hillside along the newly cut Naga-Tosa Road collapsed near the Theng Tunnel, according to officials. No deaths or injuries were reported.
While the Teesta was subsequently flowing normally and water levels at monitoring posts remained normal, authorities said water had accumulated in the two rivers and vulnerable downstream areas had been alerted as a precaution.
The incident comes as IMD continues to warn of heavy rainfall over sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim. Its September 6 subdivision warning showed heavy rain likely in the region on Sunday and Monday.
Strong El Niño now prevailing, says IMD
The heavy-rain spells are unfolding against a broader climate backdrop that has changed substantially since the start of the monsoon.
In its latest monthly outlook, issued on August 31, IMD said strong El Niño conditions are now prevailing over the equatorial Pacific Ocean, with above-normal sea-surface temperatures across the central and eastern equatorial Pacific. It expects these conditions to strengthen further in the coming months.
At the start of the season, ENSO conditions had been neutral and IMD had only forecast the possible development of El Niño during the southwest monsoon.
IMD also expects September rainfall for India as a whole to be below normal, at less than 91% of the long-period average. However it becomes important for us to understand that what less rain for the whole country looks like also depends on the distribution of the rainfall cross as states.
Parts of northwest, northeast and eastern India can still receive normal to above-normal rainfall, underscoring that El Niño does not rule out short spells of intense rain over individual regions. Further south, rainfall activity is expected to remain comparatively subdued, although isolated heavy rain is possible over Tamil Nadu on Sunday