The monthly average rainfall over India is expected to be below normal during July, the India Meteorological Department said on Tuesday in its monthly forecast.

The weather department stated that July is most likely to see 94 per cent of the long-period average rainfall (1971-2020). The LPA rainfall over India in July is about 280.4 mm.

LPA refers to the rainfall recorded over a particular region for a given period, such as a month or a season, averaged over a long period, typically 30 to 50 years.

One student has died, and at least 10 others were injured in Mumbai after a large tree collapsed onto their school bus.

The incident occurred on Road No. 11 in Chembur, where a total of 13 children were on board. The injured students were rushed to Jain Hospital, where some remain in serious condition. 

Meanwhile, emergency rescue teams are cutting through the fallen tree to free one child who remains trapped inside the vehicle.

More rainfall is likely in parts of north Bengal over the next two days as the southwest monsoon continued to lash the region, inundating several low-lying areas, officials said on Tuesday.

Heavy rain is very likely in Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar districts till Thursday morning, they said.

Several places in Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar and Cooch Behar recorded heavy to very heavy rainfall over the past 24 hours under the influence of the active monsoon system. The incessant rain has led to a rise in water levels of the Teesta, Jaldhaka, Dayna, Leesh and Gheesh rivers, they added.

According to IMD data, Sankosh Tea Estate in Alipurduar recorded the highest rainfall in the state at 21 cm in the 24 hours ending at 8.30 am on Tuesday.

Floods and landslides from monsoon rains disrupt transport and affect over 45,000 people in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam.

The Southwest Monsoon has further advanced into some more parts of Madhya Pradesh, remaining parts of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Bihar, some parts of Uttar Pradesh, most parts of Uttarakhand, and some parts of Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh today. 

Conditions are favourable for further advance of Southwest Monsoon into some more parts of North Arabian Sea, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, entire Daman & Diu, remaining parts of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh, entire Jammu and Kashmir, most parts of Haryana-Chandigarh-Delhi and Punjab, and some parts of Rajasthan during next 2-3 days.

Himachal Pradesh received 63.8 mm of rain against a normal of 95.4 mm from June 1 to 29, marking a deficit of 33 per cent, officials said.

According to data from the Shimla meteorological office, 11 of the 12 districts in the state received deficit rainfall in June barring Kinnaur, which received 7 per cent excess rain.

The rain deficit was 54 per cent in Sirmaur, 53 per cent in Lahaul-Spiti, 45 per cent in Kullu, 41 per cent in Mandi, 35 per cent in Kangra, 33 per cent in Bilaspur, 28 per cent each in Chamba and Una, 27 per cent in Hamirpur, 17 per cent in Solan and 6 per cent in Shimla, the data showed.

During the monsoon season from June to September, the normal rainfall for Himachal Pradesh is 734.4 mm.

Mumbai is gearing up for intensified rains, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasting heavy showers and thunderstorms for the city and its suburbs on Tuesday, civic officials said.

As per the IMD forecast issued at 8 am, the city is likely to witness heavy rainfall and a generally cloudy sky, with a possibility of thunderstorms and lightning at isolated places, they said.

A high tide of 4.16 metres is expected at 12.35 pm, while another high tide of 3.61 metres is likely at 12.20 am on Wednesday. Low tides are expected at 6.44 pm and 6.07 am on Wednesday.

According to civic officials, traffic was slow on city roads and public transport services were running normally.

Monsoon fury batters Arunachal, 12 districts affected, atleast four dead in one week, 45 thousand affected in Assam

Flood-hit highway at Sika-Tode portion between Sille and Pasighat 

In at least 12 districts as floods and landslides damaged infrastructure, cut off villages, and triggered large-scale rescue operations.

In Lower Dibang Valley district, four people stranded on an island in the Sisiri River in Dambuk were rescued by an Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter.

Heavy rainfall has also severely damaged the Roing-Anini road in Lower Dibang Valley district, with flash floods washing away roads and bridges at several locations.

In Anjaw district, an excavator operator was feared dead after a massive rock crushed the vehicle engaged in highway construction near Sarti village on Sunday night.

In East Siang, eight major road stretches remained blocked, leaving Yagrung, Tekang and Sibut villages cut off from Pasighat.

A cloudburst triggered flash floods in Ledum and Korang villages in Ruksin subdivision, damaging 11 houses, submerging three others and causing the collapse of the Rema Bridge, besides damaging the Bokrang Bridge, officials said.

In Assam  one person reported missing and more than 45,500 people affected across five districts.

Chirang, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, Lakhimpur and Nalbari districts are affected.

Dhemaji remains the worst-hit district, with more than 41,000 people affected

Jharkhand is likely to receive widespread rainfall from June 30, with the IMD issuing an alert of heavy rains for nine districts, an official said on Monday.

A 'yellow' alert (be watched) of heavy rains has been issued for nine Jharkhand districts -Simdega, Gumla, Lohardaga, Khunti, Ranchi, Ramgarh, Bokaro, Dhanbad and Jamtara - from 8.30 am on Tuesday to 8.30 am on Wednesday, according to an IMD bulletin issued on Monday.

Heavy rains have also been predicted for 18 Jharkhand districts from 8.30 am on July 1 to 8.30 am on July 2, the bulletin said.

The upcoming rainfall is expected to reduce the rainfall gap in Jharkhand.

The India Meteorological Department on Monday evening said the monsoon may reach Uttarakhand over the next two days.

The northern limit of monsoon continues to pass through Surat (Gujarat), Indore, Mandla (Madhya Pradesh), Daltonganj (Jharkhand) and Motihari (Bihar), with conditions turning favourable for its further advance into parts of Uttarakhand, the weather office said.

The weather department has forecast light to moderate rain or thunderstorms at many places across the state for Tuesday. A yellow watch warning has been issued, with heavy rainfall expected at isolated places in Pauri, Pithoragarh, and Bageshwar districts.

All hilly districts in the state are likely to witness thunderstorms accompanied by lightning, intense spells of rain, and gusty winds reaching speeds of 30 to 40 kmph at isolated places.

Several parts of Rajasthan are likely to receive moderate to heavy rainfall this week amid conditions favourable for the further advance of the southwest monsoon, the meteorological department said here.

However, several areas of the state on Monday witnessed relentless heat. Sri Ganganagar was recorded as the hottest with the maximum temperature of 45.1 degrees Celsius, followed by 43.6 degrees in Phalodi, 42.8 degrees in Bikaner and Churu. State capital Jaipur recorded 40.4 degrees Celsius.

According to the weather office, the northern limit of the southwest monsoon is currently passing through parts of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Bihar.