Heavy rain having battered several parts of the state, including Dehradun district, for a few days, the Met department said on Wednesday that the intensity would come down from July 13. As per the weathermen, the quantum of rain would remain normal fromJuly 16 till July 20.
Meanwhile, widespread rainfall has been recorded across the state in the past 24 hours. Meteorological centre director Bikram Singh said that 170 mm rainfall was reported in Haldwani, 150 mm in Nainital, 110 mm in Mussoorie, 110 mm each in Jakholi and Jolly Grant, 70 mm in each Dwarahat, Devprayag, Tehri and Jaspur, 60 mm each in Ukhimath, Kashipur, Almora, Gairsain, Pauri and Mukteshwar, 50 mm each in Dehradun, Ranikhet and Pantnagar, 40 mm each in Srinagar, Munsiyari, Uttarkashi, Garud and Kotdwar-4 and 30 mm each in Uttarkashi, Chaukhutia, Banbasa and Champawat.
The state capital witnessed heavy downpour from 8 am till noon to be followed by drizzling on Wednesday. With the rain lashing in its fury, the water levels of various rivers are rising alarmingly with the people living in the low- lying areas spending sleepless nights. Several of the link roads across the hill state, including Chakrata, Vikasnagar, Raipur, and Rishikesh of Dehradun district, continued to be blocked due to landslides triggered by the incessant rains over the past few days. Many rain-fed rivers being in state of spate, people living in its vicinity have been asked to leave for higher and safer places.
The Meteorological centre has forecast heavy rainfall at a few places and very heavy rainfall at isolated places in Uttarakhand during the next 24 hours. The humidity continues to stay high with Dehradun experiencing 98 per cent humidity on Wednesday while it was 100 per cent each in New Tehri, Mukteshwar and Pantnagar.
Singh said that widespread rainfall activity being recorded from across the state, landslides have been reported which have resulted in the blockage of some roads, especially in the vulnerable areas in the hills. He further said that the administrative authorities have been advised to monitor the situation closely and to restrict the movement of the commuters accordingly. The tourists have been asked to stay cautious too, he added. Meanwhile, mercury dropped to four –five degrees below the normal on an average across the state. The maximum temperature was 25.7 degree Celsius- five notches below the normal –in Dehradun on Wednesday while the minimum was 23.2 degree Celsius normal- in the city.
The weather forecast for Dehradun on Thursday is generally cloudy sky with the possibility of rain/thunder showers. The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to be around 31°C and 22°C respectively in Dehradun on Thursday.