Weather Forecast highlights:Yellow alert for heavy rain till Aug 11 in Himachal Pradesh

The Shimla MeT office on Wednesday issued a yellow alert for heavy rain in isolated places across Himachal Pradesh till August 11.

Rainwater pooling on roads, vehicles inching through long traffic snarls and flooded stretches across several neighbourhoods turned Wednesday's showers into another difficult day of commute for Delhiites, as waterlogging disrupted movement in many parts of the national capital for hours.

The rain left several roads submerged, slowing traffic across key corridors and affecting movement in different parts of the city.

The IMD on Wednesday forecast thunderstorms, lightning, strong winds and isolated heavy rainfall across Andhra Pradesh in the coming days due to cyclonic circulations over the Bay of Bengal and south peninsular India.

According to the India Meteorological Department, thunderstorms with lightning are likely at isolated places over Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam from August 5 to 9. Strong surface winds reaching speeds of up to 50 kmph are also likely at isolated places over Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Yanam and Rayalaseema during the same period.

Flood waters from swollen rivers entering villages have prompted the Odisha government to issue a crocodile alert and launch a door-to-door awareness campaign and a WhatsApp helpline amid an increased risk of reptile attacks, especially in the coastal district of Kendrapara.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah will on Wednesday assess the ground situation in the flash flood and landslide-hit areas of Poonch following last month's rain fury, which claimed 16 lives and left six others missing in the border district.

"Chief Minister is visiting Poonch today to meet the people affected by the recent floods and assess the damage and relief requirements first-hand. He will also review the ongoing relief, rehabilitation and restoration measures with the district administration," the office of chief minister said in a post on X.

Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan on Wednesday announced a comprehensive relief package for families affected by the ongoing monsoon, including enhanced compensation for loss of life, houses, property and crops, besides a soft loan scheme for MSMEs and financial assistance for flood-hit households.

Addressing a press conference after a Cabinet meeting here, Satheesan said 26 people have lost their lives in monsoon-related incidents so far, while 11 have been injured and four others remain missing.

A total of 462 relief camps are currently functioning across the state, sheltering 27,048 people displaced by heavy rain, floods and landslides, he said.

Widespread rainfall lashed Delhi on Wednesday, leading to traffic snarls and waterlogging in many areas, while the weather office issued yellow and orange alerts for various parts of the city, warning of moderate rainfall accompanied by thunderstorm activity.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), between 8.30 am and 11.30 am on Wednesday, Safdarjung, the city's base station, recorded 15.4 mm of rainfall, while Lodhi Road received 26 mm. Ridge recorded trace rainfall during the period.

Areas including Vijay Chowk, Jantar Mantar, Kartavya Path, ITO, Mathura Road, Sangam Vihar, C R Park, Lodhi Road and several other localities recorded heavy rainfall.

At least 26 people have lost their lives, and over 27,000 have been shifted to relief camps due to rain-related disasters in Keralam, news agency ANI.

Heavy rains continued to batter several parts of Kerala on Wednesday, causing widespread waterlogging and inundation of roads. More relief camps have been opened and people from low-lying areas were evacuated. The southern districts of Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha and Kottayam continued to bear the brunt of the rain fury, with incessant showers and overcast skies disrupting normal life, news agency PTI reported.

Light to moderate rain is likely in Ahmedabad, while cloudy skies are expected over most parts of Gujarat on Wednesday. Thunderstorms with rain may continue in several coastal districts, including Dwarka, Okha, Porbandar, Diu and Vadodara.

Cloudy conditions are also likely in Bhuj, Naliya, Deesa, Rajkot, Veraval and Surat. Bhavnagar may witness misty or hazy weather during the day.

Widespread rainfall lashed Delhi on Wednesday, leading to traffic snarls and waterlogging in many areas, while the weather office issued yellow and orange alerts for various parts of the city, warning of moderate rainfall accompanied by thunderstorm activity.

According to IMD, between 8.30 am and 11.30 am on Wednesday, Safdarjung, the city's base station, recorded 15.4 mm of rainfall, while Lodhi Road received 26 mm. Ridge recorded trace rainfall during the period.

Areas including Vijay Chowk, Jantar Mantar, Kartavya Path, ITO, Mathura Road, Sangam Vihar, C R Park, Lodhi Road and several other localities recorded heavy rainfall.

Moderate Rain is very likely to occur at most places over Central, East, New Delhi, North West, South East, and West in the next 3 hours, the IMD said in its latest update at 12 pm.

Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan on Wednesday announced a series of relief measures for families affected by the ongoing flood situation across the state.

"The Cabinet approved a compensation package of ₹8 lakh for the families of those who died in the disaster. The amount includes ₹4 lakh from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), ₹2 lakh from the Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF) and ₹2 lakh from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF)," Satheesan said in a press conference after the Cabinet meeting.

So far, 26 people have lost their lives in monsoon-related incidents. Eleven people have been injured, and four others remain missing, he said.

The chief minister said 462 relief camps are currently functioning across the state, providing shelter to 27,048 people displaced by heavy rain, floods and landslides.

The highest number of relief camps are in Pathanamthitta (157), Kottayam (154) and Alappuzha (81), while the remaining districts have fewer than 10 camps each.

The chief minister also said crop damage has been reported in 1,882 hectares of farmland, affecting 23,537 farmers. The preliminary estimate of the agricultural loss is ₹67.44 crore, and the figure is expected to rise after the final assessment.

IMD has forecast a wet spell for Odisha from Wednesday as several districts remained affected by floods. The IMD said the rain spell will begin on August 5 and continue till August 10.

While the weather office noted that the entire state will receive rainfall for five consecutive days from August 5, it issued an 'orange warning' -- advising people to take action -- for heavy to very heavy rainfall in Mayurbhanj on Wednesday.

An orange warning has been issued for Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar on August 6 as well, it said.

The flood situation in Assam remained grim on Wednesday, with overnight rains threatening fresh inundation in low-lying areas even as the death toll reached 89 and more than 1.22 lakh people remained affected across five districts.

According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), the Dhansiri river at Numaligarh in Golaghat district continued to flow in a "severe flood situation" on Wednesday morning.

"Due to the continuous rise in the water level of the Dhansiri at Numaligarh, citizens are advised to stay away from the river," an ASDMA spokesperson said.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), on Tuesday, between 8.30 am and 5.30 pm. Ayanagar recorded the highest rainfall at 49.3 mm, followed by Safdarjung at 9.4 mm, Palam at 8.1 mm, Lodhi Road at 3.7 mm and the Ridge at 1.5 mm.