IMD alert for northern India: Himachal receives fresh snowfall; landslide in Meghalaya

The India Meteorological Department has warned of thunderstorm accompanied with squall and hail at isolated places in 13 states and two Union territories across India on Monday.

Thunderstorm accompanied with squall and hail were very likely at isolated places over Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, while thunderstorm accompanied with gusty winds were very likely on Monday at isolated places in Uttarakhand and Punjab, the Home Ministry said.

However, the fresh round of stormy weather is unlikely to be as devastating as the one that was witnessed last week. In its evening bulletin on Sunday, the IMD warned people especially in northern and eastern states to brace for extreme weather.

Snowfall in Himachal's Lahaul Spiti

Keylong valley in Lahaul Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh saw fresh snowfall today as temperatures plummeted to -11 degrees Celcius. Thunderstorm accompanied with squall and hail are very likely at isolated places over Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.

Rain lashes Chandigarh

Early morning rains lashed Chandigarh and surrounding areas on Monday while authorities in Haryana and Punjab remained on high alert following a storm advisory issued by the Met Department.

Schools in Haryana were ordered to remain closed for two days (Monday and Tuesday) as a preventive measure in view of the weather warning.

Landslide near Assam-Meghalaya border

Due to incessant rains for the last two days, massive landslides occurred along the National Highway 44. Work to remove debris due to landslides is also being affected due to the incessant rains.

The landslide brought in massive mound of mud and boulders triggered by incessant rain over the past couple of days and several earth movers have been pressed into service to clear the debris, the release said.

Meanwhile, thunderstorms and heavy rain continued to lash across the state damaging houses, felling trees and disrupting electric supply in several districts of Assam since yesterday.

Rajasthan may see dust storms again

The IMD has predicted that dust storms are “very likely” at isolated places in Rajasthan even though not at the same scale as last week. Some places in Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram and Tripura can expect heavy rains. Down south, gusty winds along with moderate to heavy rains are also likely to sweep through Telangana, north coastal Andhra Pradesh and parts of Tamil Nadu and Kerala.