Weather today: Rain, thunderstorms expected in Delhi and Kolkata; orange alert for Himachal Pradesh

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert - indicating heavy rainfall - for parts of Himachal Pradesh, accompanied by lightning and strong winds. An orange alert has been sounded in the following districts: Kullu, Mandi, Shimla, Solan, and Sirmaur. The weather agency has also issued a yellow alert for some other areas, which are likely to witness thunderstorms with lightning and winds reaching 30–50 km/h.

The weather across the hill state was largely dry on Tuesday, with a few places receiving light rain and snowfall.

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Kufri, Karsog, and Guler received 20 mm of rainfall, followed by 10 mm in Pandoh, Sundernagar, Shimla, Gohar, Aghar, Mandi, Bharmaur, Paonta Sahib, Solan, Chopal, Bilaspur, and Una, according to the meteorological centre. Hansa received 2.5 cm of snowfall, news agency PTI reported. 

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The weatherman has also issued a rainfall warning for the national capital and Kolkata. Residents of Delhi woke up to cooler, more pleasant weather today, with light winds making the morning comfortable. The sky remained overcast, providing relief from the heat and humidity. A dip in temperatures was also observed across several areas of the city.

The IMD has issued a yellow alert, predicting further rainfall, thunderstorms, and gusty winds.

The maximum temperature is expected to settle between 33–35 degrees Celsius; the forecast includes partly cloudy skies with light rain, thunderstorms, and gusty winds up to 60 km/h during storm activity.

Meanwhile, for Kolkata too, rain and thunderstorm activity has been forecast for today.

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In the northeast, several states continue to be severely affected by floods and landslides caused by relentless heavy rainfall, with the overall death toll rising to 47 and more than 6.33 lakh people impacted as of Tuesday. Assam has reported 17 deaths, including five due to landslides in and around Guwahati. This is followed by 12 fatalities in Arunachal Pradesh, six each in Meghalaya and Mizoram, three in Sikkim, two in Tripura, and one in Nagaland.