Monsoon refuses to leave: Expect heavy rain on Saturday as new system hits

A weather system currently sitting over Chhattisgarh and Odisha, combined with a fresh spell tied to a trough in the upper atmosphere, is set to bring heavy rainfall to a wide stretch of India on Saturday, September 26, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).At the heart of this spell is a depression that formed over south Odisha and adjoining south Chhattisgarh. People walk through rain with umbrellas. (Photo: PTI) WHAT'S CAUSING THE RAIN?As of Friday morning, it was centred near Raipur, moving north-northwestwards at about 15 kmph.The IMD expects it to keep this track and intensity through Friday night before weakening into a "well-marked low pressure area" by Saturday evening, meaning its rain-bearing effect will still be felt through most of Saturday as it pushes further inland. Separately, a western disturbance is active, explaining why the hills up north are also due for wet weather. Owing to the system, red alerts have been issued across several parts of Uttarakhand. A satellite image shows the weather systems over the Indian subcontinent. (Photo: IMD) Meanwhile, the seasonal withdrawal of the southwest monsoon continues to inch northward, currently running through Punjab, western Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat.WHERE WILL IT RAIN? Uttarakhand and west Uttar Pradesh are likely to see heavy to very heavy rain, with isolated spots receiving extremely heavy rainfall.Chhattisgarh, east Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh can also expect heavy to very heavy showers.Heavy rainfall is forecast for Bihar, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Odisha, and the Sub-Himalayan belt of West Bengal and Sikkim. A man herds his livestock during heavy rain. (Photo: PTI) Thunderstorms with lightning and gusty winds of 40-50 kmph are likely over Bihar, the Delhi-NCR region, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.Slightly gusty winds of 30-40 kmph are expected in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Kerala, Sikkim's foothills, and Telangana.Towards the east, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura will see thunder and lightning activity, while strong surface winds are forecast for Andhra Pradesh. A commuter wades through rain. (Photo: PTI) The IMD has also flagged a moderate flash flood risk for the 24 hours ending Saturday morning across several districts of Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, given how saturated the ground already is from Friday's downpours, some of which crossed 30 cm in parts of Odisha and Chhattisgarh.Saturday will once again be the similar story that has played out this week; monsoon is slowly retreating and a weather system is not ready to let the rains go.- Ends