'Confluence of monsoon and...': IMD explains reason behind extremely heavy rainfall over North India

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday explained the reason behind the extremely heavy rainfall that has wreaked havoc in the northwestern states including Himachal, Uttarakhand, Punjab, and Haryana. In an exclusive conversation with India Today, IMD chief Mrutyunjay Mohapatra on Monday said that the extremely heavy rainfall over the region was due to the confluence of monsoon winds and the western disturbance.

A Western Disturbance is a low-pressure system that originates in the Mediterranean Sea and moves eastward across Central Asia. As it travels across the region, it brings changes in weather patterns, particularly in Northern India, Pakistan, and Nepal.

Mohapatra today said that currently, the monsoon is in active condition over Northwest India. "It is mainly because of the interaction with the western disturbance, which is moving across Northwest India, and strong monsoon winds approaching the same region. There is the confluence between two types of winds, and these two winds are hitting the western Himalayan region," he told IT.  

"As a result of this, we are seeing enhanced rainfall activity over northwest India including Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, and Rajasthan. And at present, it is also extending towards Western Uttar Pradesh."

The IMD chief further said that rainfall activity usually enhances when there is this type of interaction between the western disturbance and monsoon winds. "So far, the rainfall in July has been 30 per cent above the normal for the country as a whole. In the northwest, the rainfall has been 52 per cent above normal in July."

In its latest update this afternoon, the weather department said that the monsoon trough is active with its western end to the south of its normal position and eastern end to the north of its normal position. "The Western Disturbance in middle & upper tropospheric westerlies runs from north Pakistan to northeast Arabian Sea."

The Met office has predicted isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall over Himachal, Uttarakhand, East Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh during the next five days. "Isolated extremely heavy rainfall also very likely over Himachal Pradesh on 10th July. Isolated heavy rainfall is also likely over Delhi today
and decrease thereafter," the department said.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Monday said that his state has not witnessed such "widespread heavy rains" in the past 50 years. He also said that Himachal has suffered a loss of about Rs 3,000 crore in this monsoon season so far. About 17 persons have died in rain-related incidents in the state in the past two days, he said.

Due to heavy rainfall, nearly 400 tourists and locals were stranded at Chandertal and between Pagal and Teilgi nallah in Lahaul and Spiti. The chief minister said the efforts were on to rescue them. He also said that bridges were broken in Baddi, Kullu, and Una, and the Largi power project in Kullu was submerged in water.