India rains LIVE: Red alert for most of Uttarakhand; CM asks officials to maintain vigil

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Rainfall in September — the last official monsoon month — is like in previous months, expected to be ‘above normal’, or 9% more than the usual average of 16.7 cm.

Published - September 01, 2025 09:43 am IST

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami in a meeting via video conferencing with all senior officials and district magistrates. Photo: X/@pushkardhami X/ANI Photo

There is no “increasing trend” in ‘cloudbursts’ over India in recent years and they remain “impossible” to forecast. However, there has been an increase in ‘mini cloudbursts’, Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, Director-General, India Meteorological Department (IMD), said at a press briefing on Sunday (August 31, 2025).

Rainfall in September — the last official monsoon month — is like in previous months, expected to be ‘above normal’, or 9% more than the usual average of 16.7 cm. Except for the northeastern States and parts of “extreme” southern India, the rest of the country is expected to receive above-normal monsoon.

The three monsoon months so far have seen ‘above normal’ rainfall, in line with what the IMD had forecast in May. Rain from June 1- August 31 was 6% above the normal 70 cm that is usual for the three months. Northwest India — comprising Uttarakhand, most parts of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Jammu, Kashmir, Rajasthan, and Delhi — saw 26% more rain than what is typical for these three months.

What is a cloudburst?

A cloudburst is a sudden and intense rainfall event that can transform weather conditions within minutes. Unlike the steady and large-scale downpour typical of monsoon rains, a cloudburst is localised, often drenching a small area with an extraordinary amount of water.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) defines a cloudburst as rainfall of more than 100 mm in one hour over an area of about 2030 sq. km. This benchmark is widely used in India to identify events that can lead to flash floods and landslides, especially in mountainous areas.

What is a cloudburst?

Learn about cloudbursts, intense rainfall events that can cause flash floods and landslides in localized areas within minutes.

‘Mini-cloudbursts’ are on the rise, says IMD chief

India Meteorological Department reports no increasing trend in cloudbursts, but an increase in mini cloudbursts, with above-normal monsoon rainfall.

September 01, 2025 09:24
Home Minister Amit Shah reaches Jammu to assess flood situation
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday (August 31, 2025) reached in Jammu to assess the situation in the aftermath of the heavy rain and flash floods in Jammu and Kashmir that left a trail of death and destruction.
Mr. Shah landed at the Jammu airport and was received by Lt Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, among others. He then headed to the Raj Bhawan, officials said.
Shah is scheduled to chair a high-level meeting at the Raj Bhawan on Monday (September 1, 2025) to review relief measures, they said.
He is also likely to conduct an aerial survey of the flood-hit areas, including Katra, where 34 pilgrims died and 20 were injured when a landslide hit the old route to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine on August 26, and the cloudburst-hit Chisoti village in Kishtwar.
More than 130 people have been killed, over 120 injured and 33 are untraceable following cloudbursts, landslides and flash floods in Kishtwar, Kathua, Reasi and Ramban districts since August 14.
Record rainfall on August 26-27 also caused flash floods in low-lying areas in Jammu and other plains, causing widespread damage to public and private infrastructure. -- PTI
September 01, 2025 09:22
Red alert for extremely heavy rains in several Himachal districts till September 2
All government and private educational institutions have been closed in five districts of Himachal Pradesh after the local meteorological centre issued a red alert for very heavy to extremely heavy rains in parts of the state from Sunday (August 31, 2025) to Tuesday (September 2, 2025).
Himachal Pradesh has received 72 per cent excess rain in August 2025, data showed.
Landslides and flash floods have wreaked havoc in many parts of the state, leading to the closure of 666 roads on Sunday (August 31, 2025) morning. This included three national highways — the Old Hindustan Tibet road, Mandi-Dharampur road, Hatkoti to Paonta road and the Aut-Sainj road.
The meteorological centre has forecast very heavy to extremely heavy rains accompanied by thunderstorms at isolated places in Una, Bilaspur, Shimla, Solan and Sirmaur on Sunday and warned of landslides, flash floods, land subsidence, water-logging and swelling of water bodies. -- PTI
September 01, 2025 09:18
Red alert for most of Uttarakhand; CM asks officials to maintain 24X7 vigil
Predicting extremely heavy rains to very heavy rain for the next two days, the meteorological centre has issued red and orange alerts for most of Uttarakhand. Following the warning, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Sunday (August 31, 2025) directed the officials to remain alert round the clock.
Red alert has been issued for Dehradun, Tehri, Pauri and Haridwar for Monday (September 1, 2025), predicting extremely heavy rain at some places and heavy to very heavy rain at some places. For September 2, the Met office circulated an orange alert for very heavy to heavy rain at some places in Dehradun, Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag, Chamoli and Bageshwar districts.
Amid the forecast, schools have been closed in many districts, including Dehradun, Tehri, Pauri and Champawat.
The CM, in a meeting with senior officials, said that the coming few days will be challenging, and appropriate steps should be taken to ensure the safety of common people.
Dhami asked the State Disaster Management and Rehabilitation Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman to monitor the situation from the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC), given the high possibility of landslides and waterlogging in many areas. -- PTI
September 01, 2025 09:16
India sees normal monsoon rainfall; some States drenched, others parched
India has recorded normal rainfall so far this monsoon season, but the distribution is highly uneven across States, the latest State-wise compilation by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) shows.
Between June 1 and August 10, the country recorded 539 mm of rain against a normal of 535.6 mm, about 1% above the long-period average.
India sees normal monsoon rainfall; some States drenched, others parched
India's monsoon season sees normal rainfall distribution, with some areas experiencing excess and others facing deficits.
September 01, 2025 09:16
Parts of Rajasthan get heavy showers, 2 killed in rain-related incidents
Two people were killed after being struck by lightning and another person was swept away by strong currents of a river as many parts of Rajasthan, including state capital Jaipur, received rains, officials said.
According to Met department, Jalore on Sunday recorded the highest rainfall at 118.5 mm during the day, followed by Pilani with 51.2 mm, Sangaria in Hanumangarh with 24 mm, Lunkaransar in Bikaner with 23.5 mm and Vanasthali in Tonk with 21 mm.
Several districts, including Jaipur, Hanumangarh, Sri Ganganagar, Sawai Madhopur and Dausa, received light to moderate rainfall on Sunday (August 31, 2025).
In Sawai Madhopur, a girl died and seven others were injured after lightning struck a house on Saturday (August 30, 2025).
Another youth was killed in Rawatbhata, Chittorgarh after being struck by lightning on Sunday (August 31, 2025), while in Dausa’s Sikandra, a woman and a girl sustained burn injuries in a similar incident.
In Sirohi district, five youths who had entered the Banas river to take bath were swept away by the strong current. Four of them were rescued safely, while one remained missing, police said.
A department official said a circulation system is currently lying over northwest Rajasthan while the monsoon trough line is passing through its normal position and remains active. -- PTI