IMD warning: Red alert issued in J&K, Punjab, Himachal; heavy showers expected in 3 hours | India News

NEW DELHI: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday issued red alert warnings for several districts in Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, northern Punjab, northern Haryana, eastern Rajasthan, southwest Uttar Pradesh, northwest and eastern Madhya Pradesh, and Odisha amid continuing heavy rainfall. The agency’s nowcast indicated moderate to intense spells of rain over the next three hours, warning of flash floods, landslides, and waterlogging.According to IMD, districts under red alert in Jammu & Kashmir include Poonch, Mirpur, Rajouri, Reasi, Jammu, Ramban, Udhampur, Samba, Kathua, Doda, and Kishtwar. In Punjab, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Nawashahr, Rupnagar, Moga, Ludhiana, Barnala, and Sangrur have been placed under similar warnings, while Himachal Pradesh districts such as Mandi, Una, Bilaspur, Sirmaur, and Solan are also covered. In Haryana, Yamuna Nagar, Ambala, Kurukshetra, Panchkula, and SAS Nagar have been put on red alert.Between 8:30 am Tuesday and 5:30 am Wednesday, several parts of Jammu & Kashmir recorded heavy rainfall, with Reasi receiving 203 mm, Katra 193 mm, Batote 157.3 mm, Doda 114 mm, and Baderwah 96.2 mm. Jammu city recorded 81 mm, while Banihal (95 mm), Ramban (82 mm), Kokernag (68.2 mm), and Pahalgam (55 mm) also received heavy showers. Other stations such as Samba (48 mm), Kishtwar (50 mm), Rajouri (57.4 mm), Qazigund (68 mm), and Srinagar (32 mm) reported rainfall as well.Fresh data updated till 6:45 am Wednesday showed extremely heavy rainfall in Reasi at 230.5 mm.Beyond Jammu & Kashmir, heavy rainfall was also recorded in Chhattisgarh, while moderate rainfall occurred in parts of Haryana, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, coastal Odisha, coastal Maharashtra, coastal Karnataka, and the Andaman Islands between Tuesday night and early Wednesday.Meanwhile, the Directorate of School Education Jammu announced that all government and private schools in the Jammu Division will remain closed on September 3 due to inclement weather and safety concerns.