Widespread rain expected across northwest and central India as Bay of Bengal system intensifies
The IMD issues flash flood warnings for parts of Odisha and West Bengal as an intensifying low-pressure system triggers heavy downpours across the Western Himalayas, Delhi-NCR, and central states.
New Delhi: Northwest India is likely to see widespread rainfall over the coming days as multiple weather systems strengthen. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast heavy to very heavy rain across the Western Himalayan region and parts of the plains.
In addition, a low-pressure area over the North Bay of Bengal, off the West Bengal-Bangladesh coasts, is likely to become a well-marked low-pressure area within 12 hours and intensify into a depression over the subsequent 24 hours. Its influence is expected to bring heavy to very heavy rainfall, including isolated extremely heavy rain, to Odisha and Gangetic West Bengal on 13 August.
For the northwest region, fairly widespread to widespread rainfall is forecast over Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit-Baltistan and Muzaffarabad during 13-18 August. Uttarakhand is likely to receive similar rainfall from 13-18 August.
Rainfall is also expected to increase over Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and Punjab on 14-15 August, while East Uttar Pradesh is likely to receive widespread rain during 14-18 August. East Rajasthan is expected to receive similar rainfall on 13 August.
Meanwhile, central India is expected to receive fairly widespread to widespread rainfall, particularly over Chhattisgarh, East Madhya Pradesh and Vidarbha, during 13-18 August.
In the eastern region, fairly widespread to widespread rainfall is likely over Odisha from 13-15 August, while Gangetic West Bengal is expected to receive widespread rainfall during 13-18 August. Jharkhand and Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim are also likely to receive widespread rainfall during the period.
Thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds of up to 60 kmph are likely over Gangetic West Bengal during 13-14 August. Odisha may also witness isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall during the period, increasing the risk of waterlogging and flash flooding in vulnerable areas.
Flash flood risk
As widespread rainfall is forecast across parts of eastern India, several districts in Odisha and Gangetic West Bengal are likely to face a low to moderate risk of flash floods over the next 24 hours.
In Odisha, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Nayagarh, Puri and Sundargarh are at risk, while West Midnapore, East Midnapore, South 24 Parganas and Howrah in Gangetic West Bengal could also see flash flooding, according to the IMD's flash flood guidance. The weather office warned that surface runoff and inundation may occur in fully saturated soils and low-lying areas due to expected rainfall.
Meanwhile, extremely heavy rainfall of 21 cm or more was recorded in parts of East Rajasthan and West Madhya Pradesh over the past 24 hours. Very heavy rainfall of 12-20 cm was recorded in Madhya Maharashtra, Gujarat and West Uttar Pradesh, according to the IMD. Heavy rainfall of 7-11 cm was reported across Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Tripura, Odisha, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and West Rajasthan. Several parts of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Konkan, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka also received heavy showers.
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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