Heavy rains likely to continue in Himachal till July 23; Yellow alert issued for several districts: IMD

Shimla: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has once again issued a rain warning for Himachal Pradesh, with moderate to heavy rainfall expected to continue in many parts of the state over the next several days.

Sandeep Kumar Sharma, Senior Scientist at the Meteorological Centre in Shimla, said that with a halt on July 19, the rainfall is expected to continue till July 23 in the state.

“In the past 24 hours, districts like Sirmaur, Kangra, and Mandi witnessed moderate to heavy rainfall. If we look at the data, Nahan in Sirmaur district recorded 57 mm of rain.” He added that light rainfall was reported at isolated places in Kinnaur, Lahaul-Spiti, Solan, and Bilaspur districts.

The weather department predicts light to moderate rainfall in parts of Bilaspur, Kullu, Mandi, Solan, and Sirmaur districts over the next two days. A yellow alert for rainfall has been issued for Una, Hamirpur, Bilaspur, Kangra, Mandi, and Sirmaur districts today.

“These weather conditions will likely continue tomorrow as well,” Sharma said. A yellow alert remains in place for Chamba, Kangra, and Sirmaur districts as of July 18. However, no heavy rainfall alert has been issued for July 19, and a brief reduction in rain intensity is expected.

“Rain activity will pick up again between July 20 and 23, with the possibility of heavy to very heavy rainfall in the lower hill districts, including Una, Chamba, Kangra, Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Sirmaur, Solan, and parts of Shimla district,” Sharma said.

Despite the intense rain spells, the overall seasonal rainfall has been normal so far, with the state recording 12 per cent above-average rainfall. Only Lahaul-Spiti and Chamba have reported slightly below-normal precipitation; the rest of the districts have seen normal to above-normal rainfall.

“Even in July, the rainfall levels across Himachal have been largely normal,” Sharma added. Temperatures are also hovering near normal, though a slight dip in temperatures is expected around July 20.

July 19 is expected to experience generally stable weather, but intermittent rain is anticipated across the state from today through July 23.

In view of these conditions, the district administrations in Solan, Shimla, and Sirmaur have issued advisories. Due to low cloud cover, visibility is expected to remain poor in some areas, and water levels in rivers and streams may rise.

“The public is advised to remain cautious and follow safety advisories issued by local authorities,” Sharma said.