India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday, issued an orange alert for almost the whole of North India amid predictions of heavy rainfall.

IMD’s senior scientist Naresh Kumar told ANI, “Due to Western disturbances a three-day orange alert for rainfall has been issued for almost the entirety of North India. Rainfall in Delhi too will continue for the next three days”. He said that thunderstorm activity usually happens in March-April, but has got extended this year.

“We have issued a heavy alert for Jammu-Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, and Haryana region. Similarly, on the eastern side too, heavy rainfall is expected in Bihar, Jharkhand to the south Karnataka interior region,” he said.

IMD scientist added, “The temperature throughout the country will stay below due to thunderstorms. In the Delhi-NCR region, Haryana and Punjab, the temperature is expected to remain 9-10 degrees below. It can rise by 3-5 degrees once cloud start appearing after 3-4 days”.

As per the IMD, the rainfall recorded on Monday, in the Delhi-NCR region was 13.8 mm in Safdarjung, 13.0 mm in Lodhi Road, 19.8 mm in Ridge, 0.2 mm in Trace Ayanagar, 17 mm in Narela, 8.5 mm in Mungeshpur, 1.5 mm in Jafarpu, 1.5 mm in Ujwa KVK, 1.2 mm in Pusa, 0.5 mm in Pitampura, 0.5 mm in Gurgaon, 11.0 in Sonipat and 15.5 mm in Baghpat.
The IMD also issued a warning of thunderstorms and light to moderate spells of rain with gutsy rains in various districts of Maharashtra.

“Thunderstorm accompanied with lightning and Light to Moderate spells of rain with gusty winds reaching 30-40 kmph very likely to occur at isolated places in the districts of Nanded, Parbhani, Latur, Osmanabad, Dhule and Nandurbar during next 3-4 hours,” the IMD statement read.
It also urged people to take precautions while moving out.

Regional Weather Forecasting Centre (RWFC) in Delhi has forecasted thunderstorms with light to moderate intensity rain over and across the adjoining areas of NCR.

“Thunderstorms with light to moderate intensity rain would occur over and adjoining areas of NCR ( Bahadurgarh, Faridabad, Ballabhgarh) Mattanhail, Jhajjar, Palwal, Aurangabad, Hodal (Haryana) Jattari, Khair, Nandgaon, Ganjdundwara, Barsana, Etah, Daurala,” RWFC said in a statement on Monday.
Meanwhile, heavy rainfall and continuous snowfall have also been witnessed in Srinagar, Pauri Garhwal in Uttarakhand.
It has led to the pilgrims going to Badrinath and Kedarnath being stopped in Srinagar.