IMD warns of flash flood risk in northeast as monsoon intensifies across India
Heavy to extremely heavy rainfall is forecast over the Northeast, eastern and northwestern India over the next week, with low-lying areas in parts of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya facing flash flood risk.
The monsoon is set to intensify across large parts of India this week, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) warning of risks of flash floods in parts of the Northeast and forecasting extremely heavy rainfall in several states over the next seven days.
The IMD has flagged a low to moderate flash flood risk over the next 24 hours for parts of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya, where widespread heavy rain is expected. Surface runoff and inundation are likely in low-lying areas and places with fully saturated soils.
The districts at risk include Changlang, Dibang Valley, East Kameng, Papum Pare and Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh; Cachar, Darrang, Golaghat, Jorhat, Kamrup Metro, Karbi Anglong, Kokrajhar, Lakhimpur, Nagaon, Sonitpur and Tinsukia in Assam; and East Khasi Hills, West Khasi Hills and Jaintia Hills in Meghalaya.
The weather office has forecast isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall across the Northeast and adjoining eastern India over the next seven days. Extremely heavy rainfall of 21 cm or more is likely over Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya, as well as Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim.
Active monsoon conditions are expected to keep rainfall widespread across the Northeast through the week. Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura are likely to witness fairly widespread to widespread rain accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning. Heavy rainfall is also expected over Kerala and coastal and south interior Karnataka during the next six to seven days.
The wet spell is forecast to extend across eastern India as well. Gangetic West Bengal, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim, Jharkhand, Bihar and Odisha are expected to receive widespread rainfall, with thunderstorms and gusty winds of 30-40 kmph, reaching up to 50 kmph at isolated places over the next several days.
Northwest India is also likely to remain under the influence of active monsoon conditions. The IMD has forecast widespread rainfall with thunderstorms and gusty winds across the region over the coming week.
Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit-Baltistan and Muzaffarabad are expected to receive fairly widespread to widespread rainfall with thunderstorms and wind speeds of 30-40 kmph, gusting up to 50 kmph, during 4-7 August. Similar conditions are forecast over Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand during 4-9 August.
The weather office has also forecast widespread rainfall with thunderstorms over Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and Punjab during 4-6 August, West Uttar Pradesh during 4-7 August, East Uttar Pradesh during 4-8 August, and East Rajasthan during 8-9 August.
Meanwhile, the IMD said extremely heavy rainfall of 21 cm or more was recorded over Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Konkan during the past 24 hours. Very heavy rainfall of 12-20 cm was recorded over Uttarakhand, West Rajasthan, Madhya Maharashtra, Kerala and coastal Karnataka, while heavy rainfall of 7-11 cm occurred over Gangetic West Bengal, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, East Uttar Pradesh, East Madhya Pradesh, Saurashtra, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and interior Karnataka.
About the Author
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.<br><br>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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