THE India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday issued Orange and Yellow warnings for large parts of Chhattisgarh, forecasting heavy to very heavy rainfall over the next 48 hours and urging the State Government and district administrations to remain on alert for possible flooding, waterlogging and rain-related disruptions. The Meteorological Centre, Raipur, issued the advisory at 1.30 pm and communicated it to the Secretary, Revenue and Disaster Management Authority, Government of Chhattisgarh. The warning followed torrential afternoon rain in Raipur, where intense showers continued into the evening. Under the IMD’s ‘Extremely Severe Alerts’ mobile notification system, severe thunderstorms with moderate rainfall were forecast at isolated places over Baloda Bazar, Bemetara, Bilaspur, Durg, Janjgir-Champa, Jashpur, Kabirdham, KhairagarhChhuikhadan-Gandai, Korba, Mahasamund, Mungeli, Raigarh, Raipur, Sakti, SarangarhBilaigarh and Surguja during the next three hours. The real-time alert urged residents in the affected districts to remain vigilant as conditions could deteriorate rapidly. The weather bulletin said very heavy rainfall at isolated places was likely in Sarangarh-Bilaigarh, Sakti, Raigarh and Janjgir districts during the next 24 hours. Heavy rainfall at isolated places was also forecast for Surguja, Jashpur, Korba, Baloda Bazar, Gariaband, Dhamtari and Mahasamund.

 

For the 48-hour period ahead, the IMD extended the Orange alert, predicting heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places in SarangarhBilaigarh, Sakti, Raigarh, Janjgir, Baloda Bazar and Mahasamund. Heavy rainfall was likely over Surguja, Jashpur, Surajpur, Balrampur, Koriya, Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur, Gaurela-Pendra-Marwahi, Bilaspur, Mungeli, Korba, Raipur, Gariyaband, Dhamtari, Durg, Balod, Bemetara, Kabirdham, Khairagarh-Chhuikhadan-Gandai, Rajnandgaon, MohlaManpur-Ambagarh Chowki and Kanker districts. The IMD warned that the rainfall could significantly disrupt normal life, increasing the risk of slippery roads, urban waterlogging, traffic congestion, reduced visibility, inundation of low-lying areas, closure of low-level bridges across canals and streams, and submergence of agricultural fields. Citizens were advised to avoid unnecessary travel during intense rain spells, while district administrations were asked to maintain emergency preparedness. Explaining its classification, the weather office said heavy rainfall refers to 64.5 mm to 115.5 mm in 24 hours, very heavy rainfall to 115.6 mm to 204.4 mm, and extremely heavy rainfall to 204.5 mm or more. The advisory falls under the IMD’s Orange (Alert/Be Prepared) and Yellow (Watch/Stay Updated) warning framework. The warning comes amid an active southwest monsoon phase over central India, with systems likely to favour widespread rainfall across Chhattisgarh over next two days.