The weather office on Wednesday said a low-pressure area is likely to form over the northwest Bay of Bengal on July 3, bringing heavy rainfall to south Bengal, while the sub-Himalayan districts are expected to get respite from the heavy downpour experienced over the past several days.

A favourable wind pattern and strong moisture incursion from the Bay of Bengal are likely to trigger heavy to very heavy rainfall in some districts of south Bengal, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

It said heavy rainfall is likely over several south Bengal districts from July 4 to 7 due to the expected formation of the low-pressure area.

(PTI)

Several parts of Punjab and Haryana witnessed rain on Wednesday, bringing relief from the scorching heat that gripped the region for the past several days, weather data showed.

In Punjab, showers were reported in Mohali, Kharar, Pathankot, Patiala and Hoshiarpur, while Ambala, Yamunanagar, Sonipat, Hisar, Rohtak and Karnal in Haryana and the Union territory of Chandigarh too witnessed downpour on Wednesday morning.

According to the weather department here, Pathankot recorded 61 mm of rainfall, while Hoshiarpur received 5.5 mm. In Haryana, Yamunanagar received 10.5 mm of rain, followed by Sonipat (5 mm) and Rohtak (3 mm), weather data showed.

Torrential rain lashed several parts of Himachal Pradesh, including the towns of Shimla, Manali and Dharamshala, leading to many roads being closed, river waters rising and electricity being disrupted, officials said on Wednesday.

Government and private schools that had closed because of the heat reopened but attendance was thin given the heavy rain.

With the southwest monsoon arriving in the hill state, there was no respite in sight. The local meteorological office issued an orange warning for heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places from July 2-6, except for July 4.

Water levels in several rivers and their tributaries rose. The Swan river in Una district was flowing in full spate, prompting authorities to advise people against venturing close to it.

Several parts of Mumbai received over 100 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours ending 8 am on Wednesday, resulting in waterlogging at the Andheri subway and a few other low-lying areas, officials said.

The inundation prompted the authorities to divert traffic, they said.

BEST buses operated normally, while suburban train services on the Central Railway and Western Railway were running with some delays, said officials.

The southwest monsoon advanced over parts of Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday, covering the entire Kinnaur district, most parts of Kullu and Lahaul and Spiti districts, many parts of Shimla and Mandi districts and some parts of Sirmaur and Kangra districts.

Conditions are favourable for the southwest monsoon to advance over the remaining parts of the state during the next two to three days, the Shimla Met office said.

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.

The Southwest Monsoon arrived in most parts of Uttarakhand on Tuesday, bringing heavy rainfall and providing relief from heat and humidity.

Announcing the monsoon's arrival across the majority of the state, the Dehradun Meteorological Centre stated that conditions are favourable for it to reach the remaining areas within the next two to three days.

According to the centre, Dehradun recorded 57.8 mm of rainfall on Tuesday, while Champawat recorded 60 mm, Kalsi 49 mm, and Chakrata 14 mm.