Monsoon advances over northeast, but IMD warns of heatwaves in northwest and other places
The weather office forecast isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall across Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and northeastern India over the next seven days, but said heatwaves are likely to persist in parts of northwest, central and peninsular India.
The southwest monsoon advanced further on Sunday, covering more areas of the west-central Bay of Bengal and the northeastern states. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast heavy to extremely heavy rainfall over southern and northeastern India for the coming week. Crucial for kharif sowing, the monsoon arrived in Kerala on 4 June, three days after its normal 1 June onset.
As of 7 June, the monsoon has progressed into more areas of west-central and north-west Bay of Bengal, and its entire northeast, and fully covered Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram, IMD said. It has also entered parts of Tripura, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, it added.
The weather office has forecast isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall, ranging between 7 cm and 20 cm, across Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and northeastern India over the next seven days. Karnataka may see isolated spells of extremely heavy rainfall between 8 and 10 June. Favourable conditions are likely to support further advance into Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.
"Conditions are favourable for further advance of southwest monsoon into some more parts of central Arabian Sea, Maharashtra, Karnataka, some parts of Telangana, some more parts of Andhra Pradesh, remaining parts of Tamil Nadu & southwest Bay of Bengal and some more parts of westcentral & northwest Bay of Bengal, some parts of Chhattisgarh & Odisha, remaining parts of Northeastern states and some parts of Sub-Himalayan West Bengal & Sikkim during next 3-4 days," IMD said in a statement. India remains heavily dependent on the southwest monsoon, which accounts for over 70% of the country’s annual rainfall.
No respite for some regions
Even as monsoon activity gathers pace, large parts of northwest India, some parts of central and peninsular India are likely to continue experiencing high temperatures and heatwaves.
"Heatwave conditions very likely in isolated pockets over Coastal Andhra Pradesh & Yanam on 8 June; East Madhya Pradesh during 10-11 June; east Uttar Pradesh during 9-10 June; Haryana Chandigarh & Delhi during 8-11 June; Himachal Pradesh during 9-10 June; Punjab during 8-11 June; West Madhya Pradesh during 10-11 June; West Rajasthan during 8-11 June; and West Uttar Pradesh during 9-11 June," IMD said.
The weather office said maximum temperatures are expected to rise gradually by 2-3°C in the northwest until 10 June before easing. On 6 June, maximum temperatures ranged between 38°C and 42°C across many parts of central and eastern India, north peninsular India and Rajasthan, with Sriganganagar in Rajasthan recording the country’s highest temperature at 44.3°C. Night temperatures remained above normal across several states including Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Odisha.
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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