Heavy rainfall likely in Punjab for 2 days

Expecting heavy to very heavy rainfall activity to continue over northwest India, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert in Punjab for the next two days.

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While the south-western part of Punjab remained dry over the past 24 hours, other districts received varying amounts of rainfall. Gurdaspur was the wettest district with 26.6 mm rainfall, followed by Pathankot (20.5 mm) and Hoshiarpur (10.6 mm).

Moga, Faridkot, Fakilka, Mukutsar, Bathinda, Barnala and Mansa districts did not receive any rain, according to the IMD data. A bulletin issued by the IMD on July 6 described the monsoon activity in the state as normal.

The current wet spell can be attributed to the monsoon trough touching the Suratgarh-Sirsa-Delhi axis and a continuing upper air cyclonic circulation over Himachal Pradesh and Punjab at an altitude of 1.5 km above mean sea level.

While the monthly rainfall in July so far has been below the long-period average by 13 per cent in Punjab, the seasonal rain in the state has been 15 per cent above normal. From July 1 to 6, the state received 20 mm rainfall against the normal of 22.9 mm; the respective figures for the period from June 1 to 6 are 89.4 mm and 77.4 mm.

The weather department has predicted light to moderate rainfall accompanied with thunderstorm and lightning at most places over the western Himalayan region and many places over the plains during the next seven days.

In Punjab, heavy to very heavy rain, thunderstorm and lightning is likely to occur at isolated places in Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Hoshiarpur, Nawanshahr, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Fatehgarh Sahib, Rupnagar, SAS Nagar, Tarn Taran, Ferozepur, Moga, Ludhiana, Patiala, Sangrur, Barnala, Mansa, Faridkot, Fazilka, Muktsar and Bathinda districts on July 7. Light to moderate rainfall is expected at most areas across the state.