Continuous torrential rain since midnight Sunday has thrown normal life out of gear in Bihar’s capital, Patna. While the showers brought relief from the sweltering heat, they also triggered widespread waterlogging, disrupted transport, and led to school closures.

By Tuesday morning, several key localities -- Adalatganj, Rajendra Nagar, Kidwai Puri, Kankarbagh, Boring Road, Patliputra Colony, and the Patna Junction area -- were submerged under knee-deep water.

Adalatganj was among the worst-hit, with rainwater seeping into homes, damaging furniture, appliances, and books. Residents were seen shifting belongings to higher ground to prevent further loss.

At Patna Junction, passengers waded through waterlogged platforms as auto-rickshaw and taxi services were severely affected. Water accumulation on railway tracks also disrupted train services.

Heavy rainfall on Tuesday brought much-needed respite from the lingering heat in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR), as the intermittent showers and overcast skies have not only brought down soaring temperatures but also led to a significant improvement in air quality.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) has improved across many parts of Delhi and NCR, offering residents cleaner and fresher air to breathe.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), this pleasant weather is expected to linger for the next week.

From July 29 to August 3, the skies will remain mostly cloudy, with the likelihood of thunderstorms and heavy rainfall at several locations.

Jaipur has witnessed its heaviest one-day rainfall in 10 years, said the Meteorological (MeT) Department officials on Tuesday.

The city on Monday recorded 111 mm (over four inches) of rain at JLN Marg. Other parts of the city also saw significant rainfall, with 55 mm recorded at the Collectorate, 74 mm in Sanganer, and 12 mm in Amer. This is the highest single-day figure since 2014. The record for Jaipur remains 326 mm, set in 1981, said the MeT officials.

The intense rain, which began Monday evening, disrupted daily life, especially for office-goers returning home. Two-wheeler riders were the worst affected as streets quickly became inundated, leading to chaos across the city.

Monday's rainfall brought more trouble than relief. In Jaipur, the 4.5 inches of rain fell in just two and a half hours, flooding roads and turning streets into virtual rivers. Traffic jams were reported from several parts of the city, and on Ajmer Road, vehicles were seen floating in waterlogged streets.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Tuesday expressed distress over the cloudburst incident in Mandi's Jail Road and said that he is closely monitoring the situation.

He directed the officials to carry out rescue operations immediately and also expressed gratitude to the locals for their help in the relief work.

Two people died, and two others were missing in Mandi on Tuesday due to continuous rainfall overnight, which caused extensive flooding and landslides throughout Himachal Pradesh.

"The incident of a cloudburst in Jail Road of Mandi district is extremely sad and painful. Two people have died in this, and one person is reported missing, for whose search, rescue teams are trying on a war footing. Many vehicles are also buried in the debris. My deepest condolences to the bereaved families," the Chief Minister's Office said in a statement.

"The administration is fully prepared. Instructions have been given to conduct relief and rescue operations speedily. I myself am constantly monitoring the situation, and all necessary assistance is being provided immediately," it added.

Eighteen Kanwariyas lost their lives and ten others were injured in a devastating road accident near Jamuniya village in Jharkhand's Deoghar district on Tuesday.

The incident occurred during the ongoing Shravani Mela, a time when thousands of devotees travel to offer sacred water at the Baba Baidyanath Dham temple.

Confirming the tragedy, Deoghar MP Nishikant Dubey said in a post on X, "In my Lok Sabha constituency of Deoghar, during the Kanwar Yatra in the month of Shravan, 18 devotees lost their lives due to a bus and truck accident. May Baba Baidyanath Ji grant strength to their families to bear this grief."

The accident site, located in Mohanpur block of Deoghar, lies along the banks of the north-flowing Jamuniya River, near a renowned Shiva-Parvati temple.

Rains will continue to occur over Kolkata and several districts in south Bengal for the next couple of days due to the presence of active monsoon winds and a low-pressure trough from the Bay of Bengal to Madhya Pradesh, the local Met Office said on Monday.

There is a possibility of heavy rains in eight districts of south Bengal till Wednesday, as per the predictions. Meanwhile, scattered thunderstorms accompanied by rain will also continue in the remaining districts, the Met Office said.

"There is a warning of heavy rain in the districts of south Bengal like Hooghly, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, East Burdwan, West Burdwan, Birbhum, Murshidabad, and Nadia. Rains with lightning are likely in Kolkata from Monday to Wednesday. Gusty winds may blow at a speed of 30 to 40 kilometres per hour," said a Met department official.

After 12 hours of continuous rain, Patna witnessed massive waterlogging on Monday, bringing the city to a virtual standstill.

From roads to Railways, the flood-like conditions exposed once again administrative failures in monsoon preparedness, despite repeated promises by civic authorities.

Knee-deep water flooded high-profile areas, including Dak Bungalow Road, Patna Junction, Boring Road, Rajendra Nagar, and Station Road, crippling both road and rail connectivity.

Due to continuous rain, schools remained inaccessible as school vans failed to arrive on time. Office-goers remained trapped in their homes due to submerged roads.

Children and the elderly found it nearly impossible to step outside.

The Army said on Monday that 3 terrorists were cornered in 'Operation Mahadev' in Dachigam area of Jammu and Kashmir and 2 of the militants have been killed so far.

The killings of the two terrorists came after an anti-terrorist operation was started on Monday by the security forces in J&K’s Srinagar district.

Officials said that the anti-terrorist operation was started on Monday in the upper reaches of the Dachigam National Park in Harwan area of Srinagar city.

“The anti-terrorist operation was started following Intelligence inputs. Reinforcements have been rushed to the spot as the area is densely populated and the terrain under operation is tough”, officials said.

Another active spell of the monsoon has set in Gujarat, bringing relief from the heat and significantly improving the water storage situation across the state. According to official data, the overall reservoir levels have now reached 62 per cent of total capacity, a marked improvement due to steady rainfall over recent weeks.

The state currently has 29 reservoirs filled to 100 per cent capacity, including 5 in Kutch, 4 in Bhavnagar, and 3 in Surendranagar. Additionally, 62 reservoirs are between 70 per cent and 100 per cent full, while 38 reservoirs hold water levels ranging from 25 to 50 per cent. However, concerns remain for 36 reservoirs that are still below 25 per cent capacity.

Authorities have placed 48 reservoirs on high alert as their water levels have exceeded 90 per cent, while 21 reservoirs are on alert status and another 21 under warning, highlighting the need for close monitoring in the days ahead.

Due to a new weather system, many districts of Rajasthan have been experiencing continuous heavy rainfall for the past two days. The Meteorological Department has issued alerts for further heavy rains in the coming 48 hours, prompting precautionary measures across the state. As a result, school holidays have been declared in 10 districts.

A Red Alert has been issued for extremely heavy rain in Baran, Bharatpur, Jhalawar, and Karauli on Monday.

Meanwhile, an Orange Alert is in effect for Alwar, Banswara, Bundi, Chittorgarh, Dausa, Dholpur, Dungarpur, Kota, Pratapgarh, and Sawai Madhopur, while a Yellow Alert has been issued for Ajmer, Bhilwara, Jhunjhunu, Jaipur, Rajsamand, Sikar, Sirohi, Tonk, Udaipur, Bikaner, Churu, Hanumangarh, Jalore, Jodhpur, Nagaur, Pali, and Sriganganagar.