IMD warns of heavy rains, floods as monsoon withdraws in NW states

The India Meteorological Department has issued a string of weather alerts as residual monsoon activity and new low pressure systems bring heavy rain, gusty winds and flood risk to large parts of the country this week, even as conditions favour withdrawal of the southwest monsoon from some northwestern states. Officials warned of localized flooding, landslides and transport disruptions from Gujarat and Maharashtra to the northeastern hills and the Bay of Bengal coast.

The IMD said conditions are favourable for withdrawal of the southwest monsoon from parts of Rajasthan, Punjab, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir over the next two to three days, even as light to moderate rains persist across Gujarat. The department issued a heavy rainfall alert for South Gujarat, including Navsari and Valsad, and recorded intense downpours Monday, with Dang's Subir station reporting 44 mm in two hours. Scattered thunder with gusts of 30 to 40 km per hour and light to moderate rain were forecast for many districts across Gujarat.

At the same time the IMD has flagged separate high-impact systems. An orange alert for heavy rainfall was issued earlier for parts of Uttar Pradesh...