2013 Floods, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, North India

Origin
The states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are relatively remote and full of forests, hill ranges and snow-covered peaks. They are home to several pilgrimage sites and tourist attractions of the country. On 17 June 2013 the state of Uttarakhand received more than 340 millimetres (13 in) of rainfall, which is 375 percent above the normal benchmark of 65.9 mm rainfall during a normal monsoon. This cloudburst caused heavy floods in Uttarakhand as well as the neighbouring state of Himachal Pradesh. In the city of Dehra Dun, capital of Uttarakhand, this was the wettest day during the month of June in over five decades. Heavy rainfall for four consecutive days as well as melting snow during summer aggravated the floods further. Weather warnings about the heavy rains were not given wide publicity beforehand by the Government agencies and the India Meteorological Department. This caused thousands of people to be caught unaware in the rain-hit hilly areas of Uttarakhand, resulting in huge loss of life and property.