The India Meteorological Department has issued a flash flood warning covering eight states and two union territories, citing very heavy rainfall over the coming days.
The warning applies to Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
Chhattisgarh is expected to see the heaviest rain, with isolated pockets forecast to exceed 204.5mm and districts including Gaurela, Pendra, Marwahi, Balrampur and Surguja under an extremely heavy rain warning.
In Odisha, northern districts such as Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Sundargarh and Sambalpur face flash flood risk, alongside coastal winds of 40-50 kmph.
The alert runs through September 2 in most states, while Uttarakhand’s warning extends the longest, through September 8.
In Chhattisgarh, isolated areas are forecast to receive rainfall exceeding 204.5mm, with high-risk districts including Gaurela, Pendra, Marwahi, Balrampur, Surguja and nine others facing extremely heavy rain.
Northeast India could see 115.6mm to 204.4mm of rainfall in isolated pockets, while northern Odisha is forecast to receive widespread heavy rainfall through the alert period.
In northern Odisha, districts including Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Sundargarh and Sambalpur have been flagged for flash flood risk, alongside strong winds of 40-50 kmph expected in coastal areas.
The IMD said the alert period varies by region, with some warnings running through September 2 and others extending as far as September 7 depending on local conditions.
Uttarakhand is separately forecast to see very heavy rainfall through September 8, one of the longer alert windows among the affected states.
Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are both under flash flood warnings, adding to the list of hill and northern regions bracing for the current spell.
IMD’s flash flood warnings are typically issued when very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall is expected in a short window, raising the risk of sudden waterlogging, landslides and river-level surges.
NASA Earth Observatory, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.5 (representative monsoon rainfall image)
