IMD issues orange alert for Uttarakhand as rain lashes Dehradun, Nainital

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places in Dehradun, Nainital and Bageshwar districts of Uttarakhand on Wednesday, while a yellow alert has been issued for the remaining districts.

The weather department has warned of thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and intense to very intense spells of rain at isolated places across the state. Light to moderate rainfall is likely to continue at several places in Uttarakhand until September 7.

Also read: Assam landslide: 3 killed, one injured as heavy rain triggers collapse


In Rudraprayag district, heavy and continuous rainfall continues to lash several areas, while dense fog has enveloped the hilly regions, significantly reducing visibility. The combination of rain and fog has disrupted travel in the district, causing difficulties for local residents. The adverse weather has also affected normal life in rural areas, where persistent rainfall and excessive soil moisture have brought agricultural activities to a halt.

According to the IMD forecast, heavy rain is likely at isolated places in several districts on Thursday, including Dehradun, Tehri, Uttarkashi, Nainital, Champawat, Udham Singh Nagar, Pithoragarh and Bageshwar. Thunderstorms with lightning and intense to very intense spells of rain are likely across all districts.

On September 4, heavy rain is likely at isolated places in Nainital, Champawat, Dehradun, Haridwar and Bageshwar, while thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and intense to very intense spells of rain are expected across the state. On September 5, heavy rain is likely at isolated places in Dehradun, Haridwar and Pauri districts, with thunderstorms and lightning likely at isolated places in all districts of the state.

On Tuesday, the Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority (USDMA) issued a red alert for heavy to extremely heavy rainfall across parts of the state till 10 am on September 2. According to the alert, very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall, accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning and intense spells of rain, was likely for the next 18 hours from 3:58 pm that day, the disaster management authority said.

Areas likely to be affected include Chaukhutiya, Bhikiyasen, Ranikhet, Bhanoli, Katarmal, Jainti, Ramnagar, Bhimtal, Haldwani, Mukteshwar, Kotabagh, Bhawali and Dwarahat, along with adjoining areas.

Comes amid heightened alert across the Himalayan region

The warnings for Uttarakhand come at a time when the wider Himalayan belt remains on edge following catastrophic flash floods in neighbouring Nepal. Flash floods triggered along the Trishuli River near the China-Nepal border in late August have left over 1,000 people dead in Nepal, according to that country's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA), with thousands more injured or still missing, including a large number of foreign nationals.

Also read: India’s August rains fall 16% below average, lowest in three years

Nepali authorities have also flagged continued risk of fresh flash floods in northern districts such as Nuwakot and Rasuwa, underscoring how unstable conditions across the central Himalayas remain heading into September.

While the Uttarakhand alerts are a separate weather system, the proximity and timing add to concerns among disaster management authorities in India's hill states, where saturated soil, swollen rivers and fragile mountain terrain increase the risk of landslides and flash flooding during sustained spells of heavy rain.