Rainfall is expected to extend into early August, with more alerts in place for various districts
The ongoing trend of heavy rains is likely to continue across mid and lower hill areas of the state in the coming days File Pic.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for three districts in Himachal Pradesh, warning of heavy rainfall as monsoon rains across the region.
The alert follows a week of widespread showers in the state, reported ANI.
According to IMD officials, several areas have already received significant rainfall in the past 24 hours.
"During the past 24 hours, most parts of Himachal Pradesh received light to moderate rainfall," said Sandeep Kumar Sharma, Senior Scientist at IMD Himachal Pradesh, while speaking to ANI in Shimla on Friday.
"The Chuwadi area of Chamba district recorded heavy to very heavy rainfall. Kullu, Bilaspur, and Hamirpur experienced moderate rainfall," he said, reported ANI.
As per the latest IMD data, Chuwadi in Chamba registered the highest rainfall in the state at 57 mm. Banjar in Kullu saw 52 mm of rain, while Naina Devi in Bilaspur received 43 mm. Several other regions received light rainfall.
As reported by ANI, Sharma said the ongoing trend is likely to continue across mid and lower hill areas of the state in the coming days.
"An orange alert has been issued for Chamba, Kangra, and Mandi districts on August 1 due to the possibility of heavy to very heavy rainfall," said Sharma.
"A yellow alert has been issued for Kullu, Bilaspur, Una, and Hamirpur districts for the same day," he said.
"On August 2 and 3, rainfall is expected in Bilaspur, Mandi, Solan, Shimla, and Sirmaur districts, with yellow alerts in place," he added.
"For August 3, yellow alerts have been issued for Chamba, Kangra, and Sirmaur," he said.
"Rain activity is likely to intensify again on August 4 and 5, with rainfall expected across the entire state," Sharma warned, as reported by ANI.
"On August 6, heavy rainfall is expected at isolated places in all districts except Lahaul-Spiti and Kinnaur, for which yellow alerts have also been issued," he added.
On the overall monsoon trend so far, Sharma said July witnessed nearly normal rainfall statewide.
"In the month of July, rainfall was recorded at -2%, which is close to normal." However, Lahaul-Spiti and Chamba districts received below-normal rainfall, while the rest of the state experienced either normal or above-normal precipitation, reported by ANI.
Mandi and Shimla districts saw a significant rainfall surplus for the month, according to Sharma.
"In fact, Mandi and Shimla districts recorded rainfall that was 70 percent above normal for the month," he added.
Between June 20 and July 31, Himachal Pradesh recorded 10% more rainfall than average, Sharma confirmed. However, Lahaul-Spiti and Kinnaur districts remain in a rain deficit, as reported by ANI.
Sharma also clarified how the IMD categorizes a cloudburst.
"If over 100 mm of rainfall is recorded in a particular location within one hour, it qualifies as a cloudburst," he said.
Looking at the next 24 hours, Sharma warned that some areas may face serious weather conditions.
He warned that a few locations in Chamba, Kangra, and Mandi districts may receive heavy to very heavy rainfall in the next 24 hours, raising the risk of localised flash floods, reported by ANI.
The IMD has assured continuous monitoring and communication with authorities.
"The IMD is closely monitoring the situation and updating alerts through the Mausam mobile app and official coordination with the administration," Sharma said.
"Visibility is expected to remain poor in districts such as Shimla, Solan, and Sirmaur. People are advised to drive cautiously in hilly terrain and adhere strictly to all state government advisories," he added, reported ANI.
As the monsoon spell stretches further, the state administration is keeping a close watch on vulnerable regions already impacted by earlier rounds of heavy rain.
(Inputs from ANI)
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