IMD issues yellow alert for rain in Himachal Pradesh for the next 48 hours

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday issued a yellow alert for heavy rain in Himachal Pradesh for the next 48 hours. As per the predictions by IMD, Kangra, Hamirpur, and Bilaspur are expected to receive up to 70 mm rainfall while the other parts and areas of the state will experience moderate to light rain for the next five days.

The landslides in the state have hit the local roads in Shimla, impacting vehicular traffic in some parts of the city. Local link roads have also been blocked in the Chaura Maidan area. Kuldeep Srivastava, head of Himachal Pradesh IMD stated that Baijnath in Kangra has recorded 110 mm of rain in the last 24 hours, which has been the highest in the state.

"In the past 24 hours, Baijnath in Kangra district has recorded 110 mm of rain, the highest in the state," Srivastava said. Further, he added that Mandi and Bilaspur also reported a significant amount of rainfall, adding that although the monsoon stands deficit in June at -21 percent, August has seen a surplus of 8 percent rainfall."Mandi and Bilaspur have also reported significant rainfall.

Although the overall monsoon deficit for the state since June 1 stands at -21%, August has seen a surplus of 8% in rainfall. We anticipate light to moderate rain across the state in the coming days," he said. Adding on, he said that the monsoon is expected to continue in the state till the end of September and conditions of atmospheric moisture and poor visibility conditions would persist. Srivastava added "The monsoon is expected to continue in the state until the end of September.

Due to atmospheric moisture, visibility conditions are likely to be poor."The IMD has alerted the residents of Himachal Pradesh to be cautious and plan for their day-to-day activities keeping in mind the persisting weather conditions that could also impact their travel and daily activities.