23 killed in roof collapse amid heavy rain in northwest India

Heavy rain around New Delhi on Sunday turned deadly when a roof collapsed in Muradnagar, India, a town about 25 km (15 miles) to the northeast of New Delhi.

As of Sunday evening, the death toll from the collapse stood at 23. Reuters reported that the incident happened when mourners at a funeral took shelter from the heavy rain.

Weather observations from New Delhi showed around 25 mm (an inch) of rain on Sunday around the time of the incident.

The western disturbance that produced rain in and around New Delhi on Sunday will continue to threaten rain and mountain snow across northern Pakistan and northwest India through early this week.

"A slow-moving system will lead to showers from eastern Gujarat and eastern Rajasthan to western Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and western Uttar Pradesh through Wednesday," explained AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Jason Nicholls.

Moisture being drawn farther to the west can also lead to rain across northern Pakistan.

Daily rainfall across western India into Pakistan will generally be 13 mm (0.50 of an inch) or less, though areas that have multiple rounds of rain could receive greater amounts to near 25 mm (an inch).

Even heavier rain amounts are possible across far northwestern India and northern Pakistan into Tuesday. This is especially true for areas closer to the southern slopes of the Himalayan Mountains, such as Islamabad, Jammu and Chandigarh.

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AccuWeather Meteorologist Tony Zartman said, "Rainfall of 25-50 (1-2 inches) is possible in portions of far northwestern India and northern Pakistan, generally along the southern slopes of the Himalayan Mountains." He warns, "A few areas could see 100 mm (4 inches) of rain than can lead to flash flooding in low-lying areas."

As the moisture rises into the Himalayans, heavy snowfall totaling 30-60 cm (1-2 feet) is expected which can close some roads and lead to avalanches across higher terrain.

Nicholls added, "The hardest-hit areas in the western Himalayans could see upwards of 90 cm (3 feet) of snow, though this may be confined to elevations above all but the highest roads and communities."

The heaviest of the snow is expected to fall from Jammu and Kashmir into Himachal Pradesh on Monday and Tuesday as precipitation becomes more widespread.

As the region struggles with dangerous air quality, this rain may help to bring temporary improvements early this week.

While the heaviest rain is expected to remain to the northwest of New Delhi and the National Capital Region, there can be a few showers around through early this week.

"Additional rainfall around the National Capital Region is largely expected to remain below 13 mm (0.50 of an inch) through Tuesday," said Nicholls.

Thunderstorms hit the city on Sunday morning and brought around 25 mm (an inch) of rain, with locally greater amounts in parts of the city and surrounding areas.

As this western disturbance lifts northward into China, rain and mountain snow is expected to come to an end around the middle of this week.

Dry weather is expected to prevail elsewhere across northern and central India.

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