Cloudburst in Himachal triggers flash floods, washes away vehicles, yellow alert issued for May 27, 28

Himachal Pradesh cloudburst: Himachal Pradesh's Rampur, on Saturday was gripped by chaos as a sudden cloudburst unleashed flash floods and torrential rainfall, leaving the region reeling in its aftermath. At least 5 to 6 vehicles were washed away, while 24-25 others were heavily damaged.

Anni MLA Lokender Kumar said that water entered inside houses of people and demanded immediate relief work and proper assessment of losses for providing compensation.

Yellow alert issued for 12 districts

Himachal Pradesh has been witnessing widespread rainfall across the entire state over the past 24 hours. Although the weather remained mostly dry on Saturday, a wet spell has been forecast for the next six days.

The local meteorological centre issued a 'yellow' warning for thunderstorms accompanied with lightning and gusty winds at speeds of 40 to 50 kilometre per hour (kmph) in all 12 districts on May 27 and 28.

The warning has been issued for Sirmaur, Solan, Shimla, Mandi, Kullu, Kangra, and Chamba districts on May 25 and 26, the centre said.

Hailstorm alert for Shimla, other districts

The IMD has also issued a hailstorm alert for May 27 and 28 in several districts, including Chamba, Kangra, Mandi, Sirmaur, Shimla, and Solan. Residents and farmers in these districts are advised to take necessary precautions, as hailstorms can cause damage to crops and infrastructure.

People screaming, crying; rescue operations underway

A local resident described the chaos, stating that water suddenly started rushing from the ditches and drains. People were seen running out of their homes, screaming and crying.

“It rained very heavily with a storm. Water suddenly started rushing from the ditches and drains. Vehicles were swept away at high speed. People ran out of their homes, screaming and crying. Soon after, the police arrived and warned everyone to evacuate to a safer place," the resident, Salim Ahmed told ANI.

Highest rainfall recorded in Sirmaur district's Paonta Sahib

According to the Himachal Pradesh Meteorological Centre based in Shimla, the highest rainfall in the past 24 hours was recorded in Paonta Sahib, Sirmaur district, which received 107 mm of rain. This was followed by 103 mm of rainfall in Kandaghat, located in Solan district. In comparison, Rampur received 28 mm of rainfall.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) stated that this wet spell has been ongoing for the past four to five days and is expected to persist.

Senior Scientist at the Shimla Meteorological Centre, Sandeep Kumar Sharma said that there may be some relief on May 26, when rainfall activity is expected to decrease slightly. However, a fresh spell of widespread rainfall is likely to affect the state again from May 27 to May 29.

(with agency inputs)