Weather Today: India braces for a wet week as IMD predicts heavy rains across the country until Saturday

Large swathes of India are bracing for the stormy weekend to continue into the week starting Monday as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasts widespread rainfall, thunderstorms, lightning, and strong winds until Saturday.

The weather activity is expected to impact regions in the northeast, south, central, west, east, and parts of the northwest.

Northeastern states such as Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, and Sikkim are expected to receive consistent rainfall throughout the week. Assam and Meghalaya, in particular, are likely to face heavy to very heavy rain, along with thunder and gusty winds of up to 50 km/h. Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura are also set to see significant showers.

Southern India is also in for an intense wet spell.

Kerala, Lakshadweep, and all regions of Karnataka—including coastal, north interior, and south interior—will see moderate to heavy rain throughout the week. Heavy rainfall is expected over Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, as well as across Telangana and coastal Andhra Pradesh. Some areas, like the coastal belt of Karnataka, are likely to experience extremely heavy rain on May 20.

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In western India, rainfall is likely over Goa, Maharashtra, and also Gujarat. These areas will experience thunderstorms, lightning, and wind speeds reaching up to 70 km/h.

Central and eastern parts of India, including West Bengal, Sikkim, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh are also in line for rain. West Bengal and Sikkim are likely to witness very heavy rain at times. Bihar will continue to see daily showers, while Odisha, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh will experience scattered to fairly widespread rain and thunderstorms

Northwestern states are not being spared either. Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand are expected to receive light to moderate rainfall along with thunder and wind. Plains of northwest India, including Punjab and parts of Rajasthan, will also be affected. Meanwhile, Dust storms and strong dusty winds will affect visibility and daily life in Punjab and western Rajasthan, where gusts could reach 40 km/h.

Rising heat still grips select regions
Even as rain dominates much of the country, a few areas are still dealing with intense heat and uncomfortable weather. West Rajasthan is under a heatwave warning, with extreme temperatures expected to persist throughout the week.

Jammu & Kashmir may also see pockets of heatwave conditions. Parts of Rajasthan are likely to experience warm nights, where temperatures remain unusually high even after sunset. Meanwhile, Odisha will continue to endure hot and humid weather at least through the early part of the week.

Though temperatures in eastern India are expected to drop slightly by 2 to 3 degrees Celsius over the next few days, there is no significant change expected elsewhere across the country.