A series of flash floods and cloudbursts claimed 22 lives in parts of the country on Wednesday. Teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed to carry out rescue operations and assess the damage.

In Maharashtra, the death toll from rain-related incidents climbed to 213. Raigad, one of the worst-affected districts, accounted for 95 of the reported fatalities. Other districts reeling under massive landslides include Satara and Ratnagiri, while floods have claimed lives in Kolhapur and Sangli.

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has also sounded an 'orange alert' for the national capital, warning of incessant downpours. An 'orange alert' accompanies a prediction for extremely bad weather and possible disruption of commuting owing to water logging as well as cuts in power supply.

Flash floods claim 9 lives in Himachal Pradesh

Flash floods wreaked havoc in parts of Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday, claiming as many as 14 lives. Four people are still presumed missing

Addressing the media on Wednesday, Himachal Pradesh chief secretary Anil Khachi said seven districts in the state remain affected by flash floods. Lahaul-Spiti, Kullu and Chamba are the worst affected, he added.

A hydro project official and a tourist from Delhi were among those feared dead in Kullu district. Two more fatalities have been reported in Chamba.

The Shimla Meteorological Centre has issued a "red" weather warning, indicating extremely heavy rain.

Meanwhile, traffic has been suspended on the Manali Manali-Leh highway and the Gramphu- Kaza highway. Multiple landslides have also blocked the Kalka-Shimla highway and the Chandigarh-Manali highway.

Cloudbursts in J&K, Ladakh: 8 dead, 17 missing

The twin union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh were struck by a series of cloudbursts on Wednesday.

Dacchan and Boujwa areas in J&K's Kishtwar district witnessed the most damage. The bodies of seven people, including two women, have been recovered from Dacchin. Another person drowned in the swollen Saktoi nallah in Rajouri district on Wednesday.

At the same time, 17 people were rescued from the area in a joint operation by the police, Army and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF). Seventeen people are still reportedly missing.

Cloudbursts were also reported from the holy cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir and Aloosa village in Bandipora in north Kashmir.

Meanwhile, floods disrupted normal life in Machail, Paddar and Bunjwah in Kishtwar district on Wednesday.

In Ladakh, cloudbursts affected Sangra and Khangral areas of Kargil in Ladakh, damaging nearly a dozen homes, several bridges and even a mini-hydro power project. Reports of damage are also coming in from Khangral village on the Srinagar-Leh national highway.

Heavy rain lashes Delhi, Haryana, Punjab

Heavy spells of rain lashed Delhi and Haryana's Gurugram on Wednesday. According to the Safdarjung Observatory, the national capital has received 386.3 mm of rainfall this month so far.

Waterlogging led to traffic snarls in a number of areas, including Vasant Kunj, Laxmi Nagar, Mubarakpur, Malviya Nagar, Dwarka sector 1 and 8, Mahipalpur, Nangloi and Uttam Nagar,among others.

A portion of a road also caved in near India Gate following heavy rain on Wednesday morning.Gurugram in Haryana was also affected by waterlogging in low-lying areas. Gurugram received 91.8 mm of rain on Wednesday, as per the weather department.

In Punjab, a fresh spell of rain lashed Ambala, Amritsar, Bhiwani, Chandigarh, Hisar, Karnal, Narnaul, Patiala, and Rohtak.The IMD predicts light to moderate rain at most places in Haryana and Punjab on Thursday.

IMD issues warning for South Bengal, Uttarakhand

Predicting heavy rainfall for North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas in West Bengal over the next two days, the Met Department has warned of a rise in water levels of rivers in South Bengal.

Other parts of the state likely to receive heavy downpours include Purulia, Bankura, Paschim Medinipur, Jhargram, Purba Bardhaman, Kolkata, Nadia and Murshidabad.