Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has directed State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams and District Magistrates to remain on high alert as heavy rainfall continues to lash various parts of the state. The directive follows the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) issuance of a red alert for several southern districts and an orange alert for other areas of Uttarakhand.

Chief Minister Dhami has also urged residents to avoid unnecessary travel during this period of inclement weather.

The IMD reports that a depression currently over northwest Uttar Pradesh is expected to move north-northwest and weaken into a well-marked low-pressure area within the next 12 hours. Centered near Bareilly, this system is forecast to bring scattered to broken clouds with intense convection to southern Uttarakhand and neighboring Uttar Pradesh.

Weather radars in Delhi and Lucknow are closely monitoring the depression, which currently has a central pressure of 994 hectopascal (hPa) and maximum sustained wind speeds of 20 knots, gusting to 30 knots. Environmental conditions suggest the system will continue to weaken as it moves northeast.

The heavy rainfall has already impacted local infrastructure, with the Haldwani-Sitarganj road in Nainital district closed due to excessive water flow in the Shernala area. Authorities are advising residents and travelers to use alternative routes and limit travel to essential journeys only.

Meanwhile, neighboring Madhya Pradesh is expected to see a temporary respite from heavy rainfall. B.S. Yadav, a meteorologist at IMD Bhopal, said that the system previously active in the state has moved to South West Uttar Pradesh, leading to decreased rainfall activity. However, a new low-pressure system forming in the Bay of Bengal is anticipated to bring heavy rain back to eastern Madhya Pradesh after September 15.

(Inputs from ANI)