Heavy rain likely to hit Uttarakhand, state authorities issue alert

Dehradun: The India Meteorological Department on Sunday predicted heavy rain at a few places with very heavy at isolated places likely over Uttarakhand and Jharkhand. State authorities on Saturday issued an alert about heavy rains in the next 72 hours.

Following heavy rainfall on Saturday, Kedarnath highway near Chandrapuri has temporarily been shut. Meanwhile, clearance of debris and mud from the road is underway.

The annual 'Chaar Dhaam Yatra' has also been halted at some places due to landslides and rains. 

Officials said that the Kali and Gore rivers are in spate. "There is a possibility of very heavy rainfall in most parts of the state on Saturday, Sunday and Monday," Regional Met director Vikram Singh said.

The Regional Met Office has also alerted district officials and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) about cloudbursts at some places. 

Trekking has been postponed and an advisory sounded for tourists not to venture to higher altitudes in the next three days. 

The week-long rain spell has affected traffic on 112 roads, officials said.

Heavy to very heavy rain at isolated places is also expected over Himachal Pradesh and north Odisha and heavy rain at isolated places over Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi, Assam and Meghalaya
and Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura, West Bengal and Sikkim, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, coastal Karnataka, Konkan and Goa and central Maharashtra.

Rough to very rough sea conditions are likely to prevail along and off Odisha­West Bengal coasts and Andaman islands. The weather department has also issued an alert advising the fishermen not to venture into the sea over this area.

(With inputs from agencies)