Heavy rains lashed many parts of the country on Friday night amid forecasts of a normal monsoon this year. According to the latest India Meteorological Department (IMD) data, Kodagu district in south interior Karnataka recorded 23 cm of rain on July 7, Coastal Karnataka districts like Udupi recorded 18 cm, Kannada 18 cm and Uppinangadi 18 cm. It rained 17 cm.

An avalanche occurred in the Nilgiris region after Tamil Nadu recorded 14 cm of rain yesterday. Other areas in the state recorded heavy rainfall - 11 cm at Valparai in Coimbatore district; Harrison Malayalam Limited and Worth Estate in the Nilgiris region recorded 10 cm of rain.

Talirparamba in Kannur district of Kerala recorded 10 cm, Konkan and Goa and Ratnagiri districts recorded 14 cm and Rayagada 13 cm. Whereas, Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling in West Bengal received 14 cm of rain yesterday. The IMD has issued a yellow alert for Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasargod districts of Kerala for the next four to five days.

The northeastern states of Assam and Meghalaya as well as Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur district recorded 14 cm of rain and Cherrapunji in East Khasi Hills recorded 14 cm of rain. In Maharashtra, Mahabaleshwar in Satara district recorded 11 cm and Lonavala in Pune district received 7 cm of rain. On Friday, Rajsamand in Rajasthan recorded 11 cm of rain and Jabalpur district of Madhya Pradesh recorded 10 cm of rain. Himachal Pradesh's Hamirpur and Solan recorded 8 cm of rain, and Odisha's Malkangari district and Sundergarh district recorded 9 cm of rain.

Residents of the national capital Delhi experienced heavy rain on Saturday morning, confirming that the southwest monsoon was active in the city. The Meteorological Department has said that there is a possibility of heavy rains in North India in the next four to five days. The Meteorological Department has warned of heavy rains in Jammu, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana and West Uttar Pradesh from July 8 to 9. IMD said, be prepared for heavy rains and take necessary precautions.

Eight people have lost their lives in heavy rains caused by the southwest monsoon in Kerala. Besides this, 7,844 people have been accommodated in 203 relief camps opened across the state so far this year. 51 houses have been completely damaged, while 1,023 houses have been partially damaged in the state due to heavy rains and the resulting floods.

Light/moderate to fairly widespread rain with isolated heavy falls very likely to continue over the region during the first half of the week and thereafter reduce over the southern states.

Very heavy to very heavy rainfall is also likely at isolated places over Uttarakhand during the week.

Light/moderate to widespread rain with isolated heavy falls very likely over Central India during the first part of the week.