Red alert in Uttarakhand: Western Disturbance to dump heavy rain on Saturday

Heavy rain is expected across Uttarakhand through September 28, with red alerts issued for several districts. Here's what the IMD forecast has to say.

In Short

• IMD issues red alerts for heavy rain in Uttarakhand on September 26-27
• Red alerts for Bageshwar, Nainital, Pithoragarh, Champawat, Dehradun
• Rain linked to western disturbance, risk of floods and landslides in mountains

Uttarakhand is bracing for another spell of intense rain, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issuing red alerts for several districts on September 26 and 27.

The weather department has warned of extremely heavy rain in parts of the state on September 26, followed by very heavy rain on September 27.

Thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds are also likely during the spell.

READ ALERT IN MULTIPLE DISTRICTS

A red alert has been issued for Saturday, September 26, in Bageshwar, Nainital, Pithoragarh, Champawat and Udham Singh Nagar, where heavy to very heavy rain and isolated extremely heavy rain are possible.

Dehradun, Pauri, Chamoli, Rudraprayag and Almora are under an orange alert, while the remaining districts have been placed under a yellow alert.

The situation shifts on September 27.

Dehradun, Tehri, Haridwar and Pauri are under a red alert, while Nainital, Uttarkashi, Chamoli and Rudraprayag have an orange alert.

For context, the IMD classifies rainfall of 7-11 cm in 24 hours as heavy, 12-20 cm as very heavy and more than 20 cm as extremely heavy.

WHY IS UTTARAKHAND SEEING INTENSE RAIN?

The latest spell is linked to a fresh western disturbance, which is a weather system moving eastward in the middle levels of the atmosphere, that is affecting northwest India.

The IMD said the system is expected to bring fairly widespread rain, thunderstorms and lightning to Uttarakhand between September 26 and 28.

At the same time, the southwest monsoon is withdrawing from parts of northern India. This transition can still produce spells of heavy rain when moisture-rich air interacts with passing weather systems.

The rain is expected to remain active through September 28, with heavy rain still possible on that day.

The IMD has warned that intense rainfall in vulnerable areas can trigger localised flooding, landslides and disruption to road and rail movement, particularly in Uttarakhand's mountainous terrain.

- Ends
With inputs from Ankit.