The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a weather forecast on Wednesday, warning of heavy to very heavy rainfall across various regions of the country until October 8. The situation is particularly concerning for parts of sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim, where exceptionally heavy rainfall, exceeding 12 cm, is anticipated on October 5. Furthermore, there is a high probability of heavy rainfall occurring in isolated areas of Gangetic West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura on the same day.
In addition to these regions, pockets of Assam and Meghalaya are also expected to experience heavy to very heavy rainfall, with extremely heavy falls anticipated on both October 5 and 6. On October 6, heavy rainfall is predicted in isolated parts of sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh. Meanwhile, the Andaman & Nicobar Islands are bracing for heavy rainfall conditions from October 5 to October 8.
The IMD also provided insights into the weather conditions in other parts of India. It indicated that northwest and west India should expect dry weather over the next five days. Moreover, the IMD stated that conditions are becoming favourable for the southwest monsoon to further withdraw from several regions within the next 2-3 days. These regions include west Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, west Madhya Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit-Baltistan, Muzaffarabad, Himachal Pradesh, and Gujarat, as well as some parts of east Uttar Pradesh, east Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra.
Thunderstorms with lightning in some parts
Additionally, the Meteorological Department predicted thunderstorms with lightning in various parts of the country until Sunday. On October 5, Kerala and Mahe are expected to witness thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds reaching speeds of 30-40 kmph. Similar weather conditions are projected for the Andaman & Nicobar Islands from October 6 to October 8.
Isolated areas of Chhattisgarh, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Gangetic West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, coastal Andhra Pradesh, Yanam, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Karaikal, and Lakshadweep are also likely to experience thunderstorms with lightning on October 5. On October 6, thunderstorms with lightning are expected to persist in isolated areas of Bihar, Assam, Meghalaya, Kerala, and Mahe.
Advisory for fishermen
Lastly, the weather office issued a cautionary advisory to fishermen, urging them to refrain from venturing into the northwest Bay of Bengal along the West Bengal coast, Gulf of Mannar, Lakshadweep, Comorin area, and the south Kerala coast on October 5 due to the forecasted squally weather conditions, with wind speeds reaching up to 40-45 kmph and gusts up to 55 kmph.