NEW DELHI, October 30 (Aalimi Nation) – The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned of isolated extremely heavy rainfall over north Bihar on Friday, as the remnants of Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Arnab continue to bring rain across eastern and central India.
In its national bulletin issued at 8:51 pm on Thursday, the IMD said the depression formed from the remnant of Arnab weakened into a well-marked low-pressure area over central Chhattisgarh and adjoining Odisha at 5:30 pm. It is very likely to move north-northeastwards and weaken further into a low-pressure area over north-east Chhattisgarh and its neighbourhood within 24 hours, the department said.
Warnings for Friday
The IMD has issued a red warning for Bihar for very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall. It noted in the bulletin that a red colour warning does not mean a "red alert" but means "take action". Orange alerts for very heavy rainfall cover east Uttar Pradesh, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Heavy rain is expected in Jharkhand and Uttarakhand.
Thunderstorms with hail are likely over east Rajasthan, Haryana, Chandigarh, Uttarakhand and west Uttar Pradesh. Thunderstorms and gusty winds are forecast for several other states, including Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya. The bulletin said widespread rain is likely over Bihar, Gangetic West Bengal and Jharkhand until October 30, and thunderstorms with gusts of 40–50 km per hour over Bihar until October 31.
Situation in Bihar
According to the state's weather updates, red alerts have been issued for Sitamarhi and Madhubani, with orange and yellow alerts for other districts, and rain is expected to continue until November 1. The Meteorological Centre has said some north Bihar districts, including Gopalganj, Muzaffarpur, Samastipur, Saran, Siwan and Vaishali, may get rain, thunderstorms and strong winds.
On Thursday, Patna recorded 12.8 mm of rain until 5:30 pm and a maximum temperature of 24.2 degrees Celsius, about 6.9 degrees below normal. Jehanabad recorded the highest rainfall in the state, at 17 mm.
Officials have warned of waterlogging in low-lying areas, traffic disruption and a sudden rise in river levels. Farmers have been asked to remain alert because standing crops such as paddy, sugarcane, potatoes and vegetables could be damaged. Residents have been advised to avoid open fields and to avoid crossing flooded stretches.
Chhattisgarh
In Chhattisgarh, heavy rain continued on Thursday under the influence of Arnab. As a precaution, schools in several districts were closed until Friday. The weather department has issued orange alerts for districts in the Surguja, Bilaspur and Raipur divisions and a red alert for Raigarh and surrounding areas. Rain has fallen for two days in Bastar division, including Sukma.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah telephoned Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai to take stock of the situation, and Sai briefed him on the rainfall and its effects across the state.
The IMD expects the system to weaken further over the coming day. No casualty or damage figures from Bihar or Chhattisgarh had been confirmed at the time of writing. The IMD said isolated to scattered rainfall will continue over Bihar and Gangetic West Bengal between October 31 and November 4.
