Heavy rain to lash northeast, east India over next week; IMD issues extremely heavy rainfall alert

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast widespread rainfall across north-east and eastern India over the next week.

The weather bureau has forecast isolated spells of extremely heavy rainfall in parts of Assam, Meghalaya and sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim.

According to the IMD, isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely over northeast and adjoining east India during the next two days, followed by isolated heavy rainfall over the subsequent five days. Extremely heavy rainfall of 21 cm or more is forecast over Assam and Meghalaya on 5 August.

Kerala, coastal Karnataka, and south interior Karnataka are also expected to receive isolated heavy showers over the next three days.

The weather office said fairly widespread to widespread rainfall is expected over Assam and Meghalaya during 5-6 August; and Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura during 5-10 August. Scattered rainfall is likely to continue over Arunachal Pradesh during 5-10 August and over Assam and Meghalaya during 7-10 August.

In eastern India, fairly widespread to widespread rainfall is forecast over Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Gangetic West Bengal, Odisha and Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim during 5-10 August. Similar conditions are expected over Jharkhand during 5-8 August and 10 August, and over Bihar during 5-6 August.

As heavy rainfall is expected to continue, the IMD on Tuesday issued a low to moderate flash flood risk warning for several districts across the Northeast, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim, and parts of the western Himalayan region over the next 24 hours.

The weather office said a low to moderate flash flood risk is likely in districts of Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim, including Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar and all districts of Sikkim. In Assam and Meghalaya, the alert covers Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon, Dhubri, Kamrup Rural, Darrang, Nagaon, Golaghat, Jorhat, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia and several districts in the Khasi, Garo and Jaintia Hills.

In the North-East, the warning also extends to parts of Manipur, including Senapati, Ukhrul, Thoubal, Chandel and Churachandpur, and to several districts of Nagaland such as Kohima, Dimapur, Phek, Tuensang, Wokha, Mokokchung, Longleng and Mon.

Separately, the IMD has forecast a low flash flood risk in parts of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and Uttarakhand. The alert covers districts including Chamba, Kangra, Mandi, Shimla, Solan and Sirmaur in Himachal Pradesh; Doda, Kathua and Udhampur in Jammu and Kashmir; and Dehradun, Tehri Garhwal, Chamoli, Bageshwar, Pithoragarh, Nainital, Champawat and Pauri Garhwal in Uttarakhand.

The IMD warned that heavy rainfall could trigger surface runoff and inundation in low-lying areas and locations with already saturated soils, increasing the risk of localized flooding in the identified districts. Authorities have advised residents in vulnerable areas to remain alert and monitor local weather updates.

In the last 24 hours, extremely heavy rainfall was reported over Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, while several states witnessed very heavy to heavy showers as the southwest monsoon remained active across large parts of the country.

Very heavy rainfall, ranging from 12 cm to 20 cm, was recorded over Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Meghalaya, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim, Jharkhand, Coastal Karnataka, Kerala, the south interior Karnataka and Telangana.

Vijay C. Roy is a journalist with over 21 years of experience covering various news beats across different organisations such as Business Standard and The Tribune. In the past, he has covered beats such as finance, auto, MSME, commodities, FMCG, pharmaceutical, agriculture, IT/ITES, infrastructure and start-ups. He joined Mint in February 2025, and covers agriculture, food processing, fertilizers, environment and climate change, bringing over two decades of experience reporting on farm policy, food inflation, crop trade, and rural livelihoods.

Vijay’s areas of reporting include food security and climate change policies, focusing on their impact on different stakeholders and their implications. His expertise lies in simplifying complex agri-economic issues such as edible oil import dependence, cotton and wheat trends, fertiliser subsidies, and climate-related risks. He has covered key developments including global supply disruptions and evolving trade policies, offering both macroeconomic perspective and field-level context. Known for his credible and balanced reporting, he follows a rigorous, fact-based approach that prioritises accuracy and context. He is driven by a commitment to public interest, aiming to make critical agricultural and economic issues accessible while contributing to informed policy and industry discussions.

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