The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued alerts for heavy to very heavy rainfall across multiple regions of India until May 24, 2025. The weather warning highlights the likelihood of intense showers, thunderstorms, and lightning, particularly affecting the west coast and Northeast India.

Regional Forecasts and Warnings

• West Coast and Peninsular India: Heavy to very heavy rainfall is expected over the west coast, including Karnataka, Konkan & Goa, and Kerala, from May 18 to 24. Coastal Karnataka may experience extremely heavy rainfall in isolated areas on May 20. A cyclonic circulation is expected to form over the east-central Arabian Sea off the Karnataka coast by May 21, potentially developing into a low-pressure area by May 22, which could intensify and move northward. Fairly widespread rain with thunderstorms, lightning, and winds up to 50 kmph is likely over Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Lakshadweep over the next 7 days. The IMD has issued an orange alert for Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and Pathanamthitta districts of Kerala, indicating very heavy rain of 11 cm to 20 cm. A yellow alert is in place for Alappuzha, Kottayam, Idukki, Ernakulam, Kannur and Kasaragod districts, anticipating heavy rainfall between 6 cm and 11 cm.

• Northeast and East India: The northeastern region will continue to experience intense rainfall, with isolated very heavy rainfall expected in Assam and Meghalaya from May 18 to 20, and heavy rainfall in Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, and Nagaland. Thunderstorms with gusty winds (30–50 kmph) are expected across the region. Sub-Himalayan West Bengal & Sikkim, Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh will experience scattered rainfall and thunderstorms. Very heavy rainfall is predicted for Sub-Himalayan West Bengal & Sikkim on May 18 and 20. Thundersqualls with wind speeds up to 70 kmph are likely in parts of Odisha, Bihar, and Vidarbha.

• North and Northwest India: Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand are expected to receive rainfall with thunderstorms and gusty winds between May 18 and 24. Isolated hailstorms are very likely over Himachal Pradesh on May 19 and over Uttarakhand on May 19 and 20. Duststorms are very likely at isolated places over Punjab on May 18. Strong dust-raising winds (30-40 kmph) are very likely over West Rajasthan on May 18 and 19.

• Central India: Isolated to scattered light/moderate rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning & gusty winds are expected over Madhya Maharashtra, Marathawada during May 18-24, and over Gujarat State during May 22-24. Thundersqualls with wind speeds reaching 50-60 kmph, gusting to 70 kmph, are likely over Konkan & Goa during May 20-23; Madhya Maharashtra on May 18 and during May 20-23; Marathawada on May 18 & 20.

Additional Warnings and Information

• The IMD has also warned of thunderstorms with moderate rainfall and gusty winds reaching 40 kmph in one or two places across the alerted districts.
• The intense rains are indicative of the advancement of the Southwest Monsoon.
• Maximum temperatures are expected to gradually fall by 2-3°C over East India during the next 3 days, with no significant change thereafter for the subsequent 3 days.

Safety Measures and Recommendations

Residents in the affected regions should stay updated with the latest weather forecasts and warnings from the IMD. It is advised to avoid travel during heavy rainfall and thunderstorms. Authorities may take action based on ORANGE and RED color warnings, especially in vulnerable urban and hilly areas.