Late-July monsoon rain prompts deadly India flooding; Turn to drier weather expected in August

By Kristina Pydynowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist

July 30, 2018, 11:22:55 AM EDT

Monsoon rain will continue to threaten lives and property across northern India this week before drier weather sweeps over most of the country next week.

The death toll from incidents related to monsoon downpours across Uttar Pradesh since last week reached 82 on Sunday, according to India’s Disaster Management Division. The majority of the deaths were the result of collapsed buildings.

Nearly 100 other people sustained injuries, while more than 450 homes were damaged.

Faizabad was the hardest hit district. To the northeast in the city of Gorakhpur, a total of 136 mm (5.35 inches) of rain was recorded from Thursday to Monday morning.

Residents watch as an earthmover fills up a road which caved in during heavy rainfall near Ghaziabad, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, Saturday, July 28, 2018. Dozens of people have been killed this week as monsoon rains triggered house collapses and flooded wide swaths of land in northern India, officials said Saturday. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Flooding and other incidents related to heavy rain will remain a significant concern across central and eastern Uttar Pradesh as a storm lingers overhead through late week. The heavy rain will dip into northern Madhya Pradesh, while downpours also focus on North East India.

Showers will continue to dampen the western coast of India but can increase in intensity toward the weekend.

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After a wet second half to July, drier weather has returned to the National Capital Region (NCR) and is not anticipated to leave anytime soon.

"No significant rain is expected around the NCR through next week," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Jason Nicholls said.

Temperatures may instead climb back to around 35 C (middle 90s F) this week.

Beyond this week, Nicholls anticipates drier weather to expand to other parts of India.

"The heaviest rain will focus on the Himalayan foothills and North East India this weekend and into next week," he said, "while the rest of India will quiet down."

While that is good news in terms of lowering the flood danger, monsoon rain is essential for the region’s water supply and agriculture industry. Prolonged dry spells can lead to deteriorating air quality in the NCR and other cities.

Nicholls anticipates August to end drier than normal across India, but there are signs of rain returning.

"There can be one last surge of monsoon moisture across northern and central India, potentially into the NCR, later in the month," he said.

"The monsoon should then start to withdraw in early September as it typically does."