Rainfall alert! IMD warns of thunderstorms & lightning in THESE areas on April 18,19; yellow alert issued

The Indian Meteorological Department issued a yellow alert for thunderstorms and lightning in some areas on April 18 and 19. 

The regions include the Western Himalayan Region and Northwest India. Heavy rainfall is expected in Jammu-Kashmir-Ladakh-Gilgit-Baltistan-Muzaffarabad and Himachal Pradesh.

From April 16 to April 18, the weather forecasting agency expects rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning and winds over the plains of Vidarbha, Chhattisgarh.Meanwhile, Assam and Meghalaya may witness heavy rainfall from April 21 to April 22.

On Wednesday, April 16, heavy rains, along with thunderstorms and hailstorms, lashed several parts of Himachal Pradesh. This disrupted power supply in Shimla and uprooted trees in some areas, reported PTI.

Due to the rains, the local road connecting Richmond and Jakhoo became inaccessible in Shimla. 

Apart from Shimla, rain and thunderstorms lashed parts of Amritsar, while Mohali witnessed gusty winds.

Previously, IMD predicted rainfall in Himachal Pradesh on April 18 and April 21 due to an incoming strong Western Disturbance. 

Th weather is expected to change in the next two days, the report said citing Shobhit Katiyar, Senior Scientist at the IMD's Himachal Pradesh Centre in Shimla.

"In the next 48 hours, the weather will remain mostly clear across the state. However, a very active western disturbance is expected to influence Himachal Pradesh from the afternoon of April 18 until the morning of April 21. Due to this system, we are likely to see intermittent rainfall across many parts of the state," Katiyar told ANI.

The main spell of rainfall will begin on April 18, although light rain may occur in Chamba and Kangra districts today, according to the expert.

“There is a possibility of heavy rainfall in the higher regions of Chamba, Kangra, Kullu, and Mandi districts on April 18 and 19. Some areas may receive rainfall between 6 to 12 cm. Because of this, we have issued an orange alert for these districts for April 18 and 19,” Katiyar added.