Monsoon advancing towards northeast, Assam to witness rains in next 2 days

The Southwest Monsoon is active over the northeast Indian states, said India Meteorological Department (IMD) Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, and noted rainfall is expected for the next two days in Assam and Meghalaya.

"Monsoon is in the active stage in the northeastern states," IMD DG said.

The monsoon has also advanced towards Gangetic West Bengal, the northeastern part of Jharkhand and adjoining area of Bihar, Mohapatra added.

Sikkim and sub-Himalayan West Bengal are also expected to witness very heavy to heavy rainfall in the next two days.

Further, light-isolated to scattered rainfall with thunderstorms and lightning is very likely over Gangetic West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha during the next 24 hours and fairly widespread rainfall thereafter, IMD said in a bulletin Monday.

Heavy rainfall is also likely at isolated places over Bihar, Jharkhand on Wednesday-THursday; Gangetic West Bengal today, Wednesday-THursday and Odisha during Wednesday-Friday.

Southwest Monsoon hit India on June 8 with its onset over Kerala, a week after the normal date of June 1. Southwest monsoon normally sets in over Kerala on June 1 with a standard deviation of about seven days.

IMD had in May predicted the arrival of monsoon on June 4. Monsoon is crucial especially for kharif crops dependent on rains. India has three cropping seasons -- summer, kharif and rabi.

The bulletin said heat wave/severe heatwave conditions very likely to continue in some/isolated pockets over East Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Gangetic West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha, Vidarbha, Chhattisgarh, Telangana during the next 2 days and abatement of heatwave conditions thereafter.

Heatwave is a condition of air temperature which becomes fatal to the human body when exposed, according to IMD.

The heat wave is considered if the maximum temperature of a station reaches at least 40 degree Celsius or more for plains and at least 30 degree Celsius or more for hilly regions.