Monsoon Fury Hits Northeastern States

The unrelenting downpour persists in Assam, Meghalaya, and Arunachal Pradesh, prompting the IMD to extend the ‘red alert’ for an additional day in these three northeastern states until Wednesday. Mawsynram, renowned as one of the wettest locations globally, experienced the season’s peak precipitation within the past 24 hours, exacerbating the already dire situation in the region.

Exceptional heavy rainfall of 78 cm was recorded in Mawsynram in the last 24 hours (till 8:30 am on Tuesday), followed by extremely heavy rainfall of 47 cm in Cherrapunji, another wettest place on earth, both located in Meghalaya. Several weather stations across western parts of Assam, Meghalaya, and some locations in Arunachal Pradesh recorded very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall during the period.

As per the IMD’s forecast, the intensity of rain may, however, decline from Thursday. The State-wise Warning Map of the NE Region issued by the Regional Weather Forecasting Centre, Guwahati on Tuesday has predicted an “orange alert” for Assam, Meghalaya, and Arunachal Pradesh on Thursday. On the other hand, while the “orange alert” persists for Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura on Wednesday, as per the Met office’s forecast, it will come down to a “yellow warning” in these four states from Thursday.

Met officials said that on Wednesday, the “red alert” is more threatening in west Assam districts —- Dhubri, Kokrajhar, Chirang, Bongaigaon, Bajali districts. The hill district of Dima Hasao is also more specifically under “red alert”.

Of the 12 districts in Meghalaya, nine are under “red alert” for Wednesday. These are: West Garo Hills, South Garo Hills, North Garo Hills, West Khasi Hills, South West Khasi Hills, Eastern West Khasi Hills, East Khasi Hills, West Jaintia Hills, and East Jaintia Hills.

East Kameng, Papumpare, and Lower Dibang Valley are the three districts where the “red alert” has been more precisely issued in the Impact Based Weather Forecast for Wednesday.

As per the forecast issued by the Regional Meteorological Centre of IMD, a thunderstorm and lightning are very likely to occur at isolated places across the seven northeastern states on Wednesday. In the next 24 hours, the Met office has warned that heavy to very heavy rain with isolated extremely heavy falls and isolated exceptional heavy falls is very likely to occur at isolated places over Meghalaya.

Heavy to Very Heavy with Extremely Heavy rain is very likely to occur at isolated places over Arunachal Pradesh & Assam, while heavy to Very Heavy rain is very likely to occur at isolated places over Nagaland, Manipur & Tripura on Wednesday. “Heavy rain is very likely to occur at isolated places over Mizoram,” it added.