Due to the persistent rain in the capital city, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has declared that all schools in Delhi will be closed on Monday.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that Delhi received 153 mm of rain in the 24 hours ending at 8:30 am on Sunday, the most in a single July day since 1982.
A Western Disturbance and monsoonal winds are interacting to cause an intense rainstorm over northwest India, including Delhi, which on Saturday saw the first “very heavy” rainfall of the season.
All schools will be closed on Monday due to the recent severe rains, according to Kejriwal’s tweet in Hindi. He also cited the meteorological department’s warnings. According to a senior IMD official, the Safdarjung observatory, the city’s main meteorological station, recorded 153 mm of rain in the 24 hours ending at 8:30 am on Sunday, the most since 169.9 mm fell in that same time period on July 25, 1982.
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Rain Causing Mayhem in Delhi and Hill Stations:
The widespread rains that at first provided a much-needed reprieve from the heat and humidity have now had disastrous effects on hill regions, where overflowing rivers have caused flash floods and landslides. Localized flooding has caused certain routes to close with travel warnings issued, and cities in the plains are experiencing traffic problems.
While the southwest monsoon typically brings substantial rain to the nation in July, the severe western disturbance has intensified the rainfall activity. These are storm systems that deliver rain to the western Himalayas and have their origins in the Mediterranean.
As the heavy rains persisted on Sunday, red alerts were still in effect for Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, as well as portions of Punjab, Haryana, and Delhi. On Saturday, Chandigarh saw rainfall totals of 302 mm, while those in Ambala (Haryana), Una (Himachal Pradesh), and Bhaderwah (J&K) exceeded 220 mm, 160 mm, and 120 mm, respectively.
People are advised to stay indoors and only step out when extremely necessary.
