31 July,2026 07:34 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Representational image. File pic
India is likely to witness below-normal rainfall during the second half of the southwest monsoon from August to September, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in its monthly forecast, issued on Friday.
According to PTI, the weather forecasting agency highlighted that the rainfall is expected to be less than 94 per cent of the Long Period Average (LPA).
The LPA of rainfall over the country as a whole during the August to September period, based on historical data from 1971 to 2020, is 422.8 mm.
LPA refers to the rainfall recorded over a particular region in a given period, such as a month or a season, averaged over a long period, typically 30 to 50 years.
While the country is most likely to experience below-average rainfall, northern states like Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir have been witnessing intense rainfall. Amid continuous monsoon rainfall across the region, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Friday issued an orange alert.
According to ANI, the Beas River in the Mandi district is currently flowing at normal levels, and no incidents of flash floods or other rain-related disasters have been reported so far. Cloud cover persists across the district, while scattered rainfall was recorded in different parts of Mandi on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) released an additional 12,000 cusecs of water from the Pandoh Dam due to increased inflows into the reservoir, taking the total discharge into the Beas River to approximately 36,000 cusecs, as per ANI.
Authorities have advised residents, tourists, and workers to stay away from the riverbanks, as water levels may rise further if inflows continue to increase. Sirens will be sounded before any additional release of water from the dam.
Heavy monsoon rainfall has triggered floods and landslides across several states, including Assam, Gujarat, Uttarakhand, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, and Kerala.
Earlier, on Wednesday, restoration of essential services gathered momentum across the state, with the number of blocked roads declining to 152 as authorities continued large-scale clearance operations following heavy monsoon rains.
(With inputs from ANI and PTI)
