North hills to get ''heavy to very heavy'' rain for 3 days

Vibha Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 30

Beginning tomorrow for next three days North Indian hills-Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir but more so Uttarakhand- are in for some more "heavy to very heavy" rain. 

While the IMD has already forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall in Uttarakhand on July 1 and 2, meteorologists also warn of possibility of the state witnessing extreme weather conditions on these days.

Mahesh Palwat of private weather forecaster Skymet says some parts of Uttarakhand may also see flash floods or a cloudburst, especially the lower districts. Keeping this mind, the Skymet has advised tourists to avoid travelling towards hill stations, which may also see a "significant drop" in both day and night temperatures.

The reason is the monsoon trough has today shifted northwards. 

The IMD says it is likely to shift further northward towards the foot of Himalayas and remain there between July 1 and July 6. Consequently, rainfall activity is very likely at most places with isolated heavy to very heavy falls over Northern parts of UP, Bihar, Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh, Western Himalayan region and Northeastern states on July 1, 2 and 3.

Whenever the monsoon trough moves towards northern foot hills, areas north of it receive excessive rains, explains Palawat. Meanwhile, the shifting of the trough is also accompanied with a Western Disturbance, adding to the enhancement in rain activity over most parts of Himachal and Uttarakhand, says the IMD

Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir, where the authorities yesterday issued a flood alert, will record "moderate rain with one or two heavy spells". The authorities had on Friday issued a flood alert in south Kashmir and today they issued one for low-lying areas of central Kashmir, including Srinagar, asking people to be alert and prepared for evacuation.