The southwest monsoon has arrived in full force in several states across north India, with heavy rains expected to continue on Monday. While flash floods washed away vehicles and damaged buildings in Uttarakhand, torrential rains accompanied by lightning strikes wreaked havoc in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan. The rain is expected to continue for the next two days, according to the meteorological department.
The IMD issues four color-coded warnings based on the severity of an extreme weather event, in the order green, yellow, orange, and red.
Heavy rain is expected in several states on Tuesday.
The IMD has issued a weather warning for the following states, which are expected to receive heavy rain on Tuesday:
Rajasthan (orange alert)
Kashmir (orange alert)
Himachal Pradesh (yellow alert)
Uttarakhand (yellow alert)
Uttar Pradesh (yellow alert)
An orange alert is more serious than a yellow alert. It means that there is a risk to life and property as a result of extremely bad weather. When an orange alert, the second-most dangerous alert after red, is issued, the Met Department advises people to stay at home.
A yellow alert is issued to warn of the possibility of heavy rain for a few hours, with the possibility of flooding.
Flooding and lightning wreak havoc across northern India.
Heavy rain caused flash floods in Himachal Pradesh, damaging several buildings and sweeping away cars, most notably in Dharamshala and near the Kangra airport in Gaggal. Flash floods disrupted traffic movement in the state, according to videos that went viral a day ago. The floods also caused damage to several buildings, including one that housed a government school.
The heavy rains caused rising water levels in major rivers in Jammu, including the Tawi. Meanwhile, lightning strikes in Madhya Pradesh killed six people, including two minors, and injured 11 others.
In Uttar Pradesh, the death toll from lightning strikes has also risen to 42. Allahabad had the highest number of deaths (14) reported, followed by Kanpur Dehat and Fatehpur, each with five. The lightning strikes are likely to have injured up to 23 people.
