The India Meteorological Department has issued a heavy rain warning for 15 states, citing a mix of thunderstorm and flooding risk.
States covered by the warning include Bihar, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Assam, Meghalaya, Odisha, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, eastern Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
Wind speeds could reach 70 kmph, with hill states including Himachal Pradesh facing a heightened risk of landslides during the alert period.
The IMD said several states under the warning are also seeing rivers rise rapidly, adding to the overall flood risk.
The IMD’s warning system uses colour-coded alerts, with the current advisory urging residents in the affected states to exercise caution given the combination of heavy rain and strong winds.
A low-pressure area over southwest Uttar Pradesh and surrounding areas is expected to bring heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places in Uttarakhand and western Uttar Pradesh.
West Bengal is under a very heavy rain warning, with widespread rainfall expected across the Gangetic plains of the state from September 7 to 10.
Jharkhand is likely to see widespread rainfall from September 8 to 11, while Odisha’s spell is expected between September 10 and 12, according to the IMD’s regional outlook.
In Delhi-NCR, the IMD forecast very light to light rain at many places, with moderate rain possible in some areas and thunderstorms accompanied by lightning likely during the morning to forenoon.
Hilly states including Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu & Kashmir face an elevated risk of landslides and flash floods as rivers in several states are rising rapidly.
Southern India is expected to see comparatively subdued weather activity during this spell, with only isolated showers forecast rather than the widespread rain seen elsewhere.
The northeastern states of Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Assam and Meghalaya are all included in the alert, reflecting a broad band of monsoon activity stretching across the region.
Monsoon clouds over Bengal, India, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
