After an exceptionally early onset this year—the earliest in 16 years—the southwest monsoon has temporarily paused its journey across India, weather officials said. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) confirmed that while the monsoon arrived over Kerala on May 24 and made swift progress through the southern peninsula, northeast India, and parts of the west, its advance has stalled.
According to IMD officials, the rainfall will remain subdued across most parts of the country for the next few days. However, reports suggest that the monsoon is expected to gather strength between June 11 and 12, likely resuming its march toward the central and northern regions of the country.
Despite the subdued trend, the Northeast has been reeling under intense rain, triggering severe floods and landslides across multiple states. As of June 2, the situation remains critical, with the death toll climbing to 36. Schools have been shut in several areas due to safety concerns, and more than 5.5 lakh people remain affected.
Among the hardest-hit states, Assam continues to bear the brunt of the deluge. Over 5.35 lakh residents have been impacted across 22 districts, with 11 reported fatalities. An official bulletin noted that 15 rivers in the state are flowing above danger levels.
In Arunachal Pradesh, 10 people have lost their lives, followed by Meghalaya with six deaths, Mizoram with five, Sikkim with three, and Tripura reporting one fatality.
Tragedy struck the Indian Army in Sikkim, where a landslide on the evening of June 1 near Lachen town in Mangan district claimed the lives of three soldiers. The landslide, triggered by incessant rains, hit a military camp in Chhaten,, leaving six more army personnel missing.
In light of the current severe weather across India, the India Meteorological Department has issued alerts across the nation. IMD has issued an orange alert for 11 states in India, including Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, warning of intense rainfall, thunderstorms and potential weather disruptions.
According to the weather department, states including Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura, Manipur, and Nagaland are expected to experience a wet spell.
In parts of Northwest India, the department has predicted thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds upto 50 kmph across regions off Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana and Delhi over the next three days.
The IMD also anticipates thundersqualls with wind speeds reaching 70 kmph in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, West Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan on June 3. Isolated heavy rainfall is also forecasted, with predictions of dust storms at isolated locations in West Rajasthan till June 5.
Hot and humid conditions are likely to persist in Odisha until June 6, and in coastal Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry until June 4, the IMD said.
(With inputs from multiple reports)
This is a developing story. Stay tuned for more updates.
