States brace for intense weather; Char Dham yatra halted temporarily as IMD issues alert for heavy rains

Several states are witnessing extreme weather events as a low pressure has been formed under the influence of a cyclonic circulation over Gangetic West Bengal and neighbourhood. According to the latest bulletin by the IMD, a low-pressure area lies over the southeast Arabian Sea and adjoining Kerala. Another low-pressure area lies over north coastal Andhra Pradesh and its nearby areas..

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) in its latest bulletin has predicted more rain not only for Kerala but also 16 additional states and UTs, including Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh, among other regions.

Here's how the states are affected


1. Rains lash most parts of Madhya Pradesh
Almost the entire state received post-monsoon showers in the 24-hour period ending at 8.30 am on Monday and more rains are likely over the next couple of days, P K Saha, senior meteorologist at the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) Bhopal office, told PTI.

2. MHA in touch with Kerala govt
The ministry assures all possible help Amid critical flood situation in Kerala, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is closely monitoring the situation and has assured all possible assistance to the state administration from the Centre, the officials in the ministry said.

3. Char Dham Yatra Halted Temporarily
As IMD Issued alert for Heavy Rains the administration of Uttarakhand has halted the Char Dham Yatra temporarily due to heavy rains across the state. The MeT department has issued warning for three days from October 17-19.

4. Fresh Snowfall in Kashmir
The upper reaches of the state received fresh snowfall while rains lashed plains since Sunday bringing the temperatures down. Meteorological Department officials said that some higher reaches in Kashmir including Z-Gali, Razdan top, Peer ki Gali, Sadhna Top, and Zojila received fresh light snowfall.

5. Intense Spells across northwest, Peninsular and East India
Intense spells of rain have also been reported across northwest India, south peninsular India, and East India. Tamil Nadu also saw three death yesterday as a result of heavy rain-related incidents, with two bodies recovered in the Namakkal district and one in Kanyakumari.

Western disturbance over Afghanistan
The western disturbance over Afghanistan will trigger light to moderate rain at most regions with heavy to very heavy falls at isolated places over Uttarakhand between October 17 and 19. The IMD has issued the same weather alert for Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh for October 17 and 18, and over Haryana, Chandigarh and east Rajasthan on October 17.