Heavy Rainfall Over Uttarakhand: Landslides Likely
The mountainous states of Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh were raged with intense monsoon activity during the last few days. Incidents of cloudbursts, incessant downpours at a few places, gushing water down the slopes, flooding of roads and highways, overflowing dams, and the release of excess water from brimming rivers and streams inflicted catastrophic damage over large parts of these two states. Somehow, the state of Uttarakhand escaped the monsoon fury during this period. However, the conditions are building up for inclement weather in the state between 28th August and 01st September 2025. The wet spell may get prolonged further till midweek next.
Multiple factors joining together will compound the meteorological conditions for the fragile mountains of Uttarakhand. There is a low-pressure area over the Chhattisgarh and Odisha region. The broad cyclonic circulation is covering the states of Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and adjoining parts. This system will move across Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan. The circulation of the system will remain embedded in the monsoon trough and move along, keeping proximity to the foothills of Uttarakhand. The trough will also oscillate and draw closer to the lower hills of the state and the foothills of West Uttar Pradesh. Additionally, a western disturbance, as an upper-air system, will add another dimension to the strength of this trio, increasing the scale and spread of weather activity over the approaching weekend.
The state of Uttarakhand has two sets of hills: Kumaon in the east and Garhwal on the west side. During this spell, the Kumaon division will be more vulnerable, and the foothills and lower hills (below 7,000 feet) will be the soft targets. Pantnagar has already received heavy showers and recorded 113 mm of rainfall in the past 24 hours. Places at risk in the lower ranges include Rudrapur, Udham Singh Nagar, Sitarganj, Kashipur, and Pantnagar. The adverse weather conditions will strike the middle hills covering Champawat, Bageshwar, Nainital, Almora, Pithoragarh, Chamoli, and Mukteshwar. Even after the bad weather conditions ease out, the terrain will remain susceptible to landslides, mudslides, boulders, and rolling stones down the slopes of the mountains. The water bodies keep responding even beyond the window of rough weather and pose a major threat to the safety of both locals and visitors. Notwithstanding the marginal risk, the entire Garhwal region also needs to exercise caution and stay alert to meet any eventuality.
