Red alert in J&K, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, other states; showers expected in next 3 hours

Heavy rainfall triggers flood fears in Punjab (Image: PTI)

Amid heavy rainfall in several Indian states, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued red alert warnings for several districts across Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, northern Punjab, northern Haryana, eastern Rajasthan, southwest Uttar Pradesh, northwest & eastern Madhya Pradesh and Odisha.

The updated nowcast suggests moderate to intense spells of rain in these regions over the next three hours, posing risks of flash floods, landslides, and waterlogging.

According to IMD, districts under red alert in Jammu & Kashmir include Poonch, Mirpur, Rajouri, Reasi, Jammu, Ramban, Udhampur, Samba, Kathua, Doda, and Kishtwar. In Punjab, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Nawashahr, Rupnagar, Moga, Ludhiana, Barnala, and Sangrur are under red alert; while in Himachal Pradesh, Mandi, Una, Bilaspur, Sirmaur, and Solan are under similar warnings. Haryana's Yamuna Nagar, Ambala, Kurukshetra, Panchkula, and SAS Nagar are also under the same warning.

Between 8:30 am on Tuesday and 5:30 am on Wednesday, several regions in Jammu & Kashmir witnessed significant rainfall. The highest was recorded in Reasi at 203 mm, followed closely by Katra at 193 mm, Batote at 157.3 mm, Doda at 114 mm, and Baderwah at 96.2 mm.

Jammu city itself received 81 mm, while other stations such as Banihal (95 mm), Ramban (82 mm), Kokernag (68.2 mm), and Pahalgam (55 mm) also saw heavy rainfall.

Moreover, rainfall was also reported in Srinagar (32 mm), Samba (48 mm), Kishtwar (50 mm), Rajouri (57.4 mm), Srinagar (32 mm) and Qazigund (68 mm) during the same period.

Fresh data up to 6:45 am on September 3 showed extremely heavy rainfall in Jammu & Kashmir's Reasi at 230.5 mm.

Apart from Jammu & Kashmir, widespread rainfall was also observed across several states. From 8:30 pm on Tuesday to 5:30 am on Wednesday, heavy rainfall occurred in Chhattisgarh, while moderate rainfall was reported in parts of Haryana, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, coastal Odisha, coastal Maharashtra, coastal Karnataka, and the Andaman Islands.

Meanwhile, all government and private schools across Jammu Division will remain closed on September 3 in view of inclement weather and safety concerns, the Directorate of School Education Jammu announced on Tuesday.