Weather News Updates: As the IMD has predicted red alert for two districts on Saturday and orange alert for the southern districts in Kerala till May 16, Chief Secretary V P Joy called a high-level meeting of the district collectors and issued directions to open relief camps if necessary. In the meeting, he directed the district collectors to set up an alarm system to alert the people in case of any emergency.
Kerala | Water logging occurred in several parts of Kochi as pathways and roads got inundated after rains lashed the city. pic.twitter.com/MyNw6R8XFx— ANI (@ANI) May 15, 2022
Government sources said a control room has already been set up in the state to deal with the emergencies. The meeting also directed the collectors to shift the people from the areas prone to flooding. “Directions have been issued to arrange relief camps if necessary. Food and drinking water will also be ensured there,” the sources said.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Saturday issued a red alert for Ernakulam and Idukki districts of Kerala for Saturday indicating extremely heavy rainfall and an orange alert for southern districts till May 16. An orange alert has been issued for Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam and Thrissur districts till May 16.
Latest updates on the story:
• The death toll in rains in Meghalaya rose to three on Saturday as one more person drowned in a swollen river in East Khasi Hills district, an official said. “Two persons who went fishing from Mawber village yesterday went missing. One of them was found dead after getting washed ashore downstream. Another one is missing,” a senior police officer told PTI. He said the search and rescue operation for the missing person is on. Heavy rains lashed Meghalaya on Thursday night and Friday as the capital city witnessed one of the highest rainfall caused by moisture incursion from the Bay of Bengal, officials said. Two persons died in East Khasi Hills and Ri-Bhoi district on Friday.
• The first wave of floods in Assam this year has affected approximately 25,000 people across six districts. On Saturday, three people were killed in landslides in the Haflong area of Dima Hasao district, including a woman.
Following days of heavy rainfall in Assam and neighbouring states of Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh, the water level of various rivers is progressively rising, and the water in the Kopili river is running above the danger level mark. According to Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) flood data, the first spell of flood affected 24,681 people in 94 villages in six districts – Cachar, Dhemaji, Hojai, Karbi Anglong West, Nagaon, and Kamrup (Metro). In the flood-affected districts, flood waters have flooded 1732.72 hectares of crops.
• The IMD warning said heat wave conditions in many parts with severe heat wave conditions will be seen in isolated pockets over the same region on May 15 with reduction in intensity and spatial thereafter, heat wave conditions in some parts on May 15, and heat wave conditions in many parts with severe heat wave conditions in isolated pockets are very likely over Madhya Pradesh on May 15 with heat wave conditions in some/isolated parts on May 16 and 17.
• Places that recorded maximum temperatures above 47 degrees Celsius are: Ganganagar (48.3), Bikaner (48.2), Churu (47.5), Phalodi, Jaisalmer (both 47.4), Pilani (47.3) – all in Rajasthan, Bhind (48.7), Nowgong, Khajuraho (both 47.6) – all in Madhya Pradesh, Mungeshpur (47.2), Najafgarh (47) – both in Delhi; Sirsa (47.8), Hisar (47.5) – both Haryana, and Jhansi (47.3) in Uttar Pradesh.
• Heat wave to severe heat wave conditions in isolated pockets are very likely over Punjab, Haryana, and Delhi on May 15, heat wave conditions in some/isolated parts on over Uttar Pradesh on May 15, and in isolated pockets over Jammu division, Vidarbha and Jharkhand on May 15.
• Meanwhile, under the influence of a fresh Western Disturbance, isolated rainfall/thunderstorm is likely over Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh on Sunday. The rainfall activity is likely to increase with scattered to fairly widespread light/ moderate rainfall with thunderstorm/lightning/gusty winds and hail is very likely over Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand on May 16 and 17. Isolated light rainfall with thunderstorm/lightning is very likely over north Punjab on May 16 and 17 and also over east Uttar Pradesh on the same days.
• Dust-raising winds, with speed reaching 30-40 kmph, at isolated places is very likely over north Rajasthan on Sunday while dust storm/thunderstorm at isolated places is very likely over Haryana, west Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan on Monday, the IMD bulletin said.
• Even as northwest India and Indo-Gangetic plains sizzle in a heat wave and severe heat wave, large parts of northeast India witnessed heavy to extremely heavy rainfall on Saturday with several stations, especially those across Meghalaya, recording rainfall of more than 150 mm in 24 hours.
#WATCH | Assam: PWD road connecting Hojai and West Karbi Anglong districts submerged under floodwaters in Hojai district, yesterdaySeveral villages were inundated as the flood situation remains gloomy in the district pic.twitter.com/R2y4f1Dynu
— ANI (@ANI) May 15, 2022
The IMD has warned of a similar heavy to extremely heavy rainfall activity till May 18.
An east-west trough runs from Bihar to central Assam and Meghalaya across sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim at 0.9 km above mean sea level. Moisture incursion from the Bay of Bengal is likely to continue over NE India due to the strong lower-level southerly/southwesterly winds during May 14-18.
With inputs from agencies
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