Delhi likely to see heavy rainfall with thunderstorms today, IMD issues 'orange' alert for next 4 days

Several states including the national capital are expected to receive moderate to heavy rainfall today along with thunderstorms, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said in its weather bulletin. From July 3 to 5, the weather agency is predicted to have a generally cloudy sky with moderate to heavy rain and thunderstorms.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has projected that there will be heavy rain today in a number of Indian states and Union territories, including Delhi. The nation's capital has been placed under an orange alert for today and tomorrow, despite the fact that Monday's prediction called for rain did not materialise.

The meteorological agency recently tweeted that convective clouds in the northwest area might bring rain, isolated thunderstorms, and lightning over Delhi, Punjab, and the states and UTs that border them.

The prediction was made after the nation's capital saw heavy rains on Friday that shattered an 88-year-old record for precipitation in Delhi. The 24-hour period that ended at 8.30 am on Friday saw 228.1 mm of rain pour on the city, more than three times the normal of 74.1 mm for June and the greatest amount since 1936.

The Met department, however, clarified on Monday (July 1) that the downpours that snapped power and caused water disruption in the city, besides claiming the lives of several due to waterlogging, was not a result of a cloudburst.

The IMD reported that rain is also expected for Saurashtra, Gujarat's Kutch, and the southern portion of the state on Tuesday. Monday saw heavy rain fall on Gujarat for the second day in a row. According to news agency PTI, which cited authorities, Kalyanpur taluka in the Devbhumi Dwarka district received 174 mm of rain in a 12-hour period that ended at 6 pm.

A cyclonic circulation lies over Haryana and a trough runs from Punjab to Mizoram at the lower trophospheric levels, due to which widespread rainfall is on the cards in the northwest and central India during the next five days (until July 6).

Delhi, Haryana, Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh are expected to see sporadic heavy rains due to the effect of the cyclonic circulation.

An offshore trough extends down the coast of Maharashtra and Kerala, while another cyclonic circulation is over north Gujarat and the surrounding areas. This means that until July 6, extensive rains, thunderstorms, and lightning are highly possible in a number of places, including Kerala, Mahe in Puducherry, coastal Karnataka, Goa, Konkan, Gujarat, Lakshadweep, coastal Andhra Pradesh, central Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana.