Travellers making arrangements for trips within India in the coming days might need to check the weather forecasts more often. The recent bulletin released by the India Meteorological Department indicates that India is now experiencing an exciting phase of weather characterised by progressing monsoon situations, intense heat waves in the northern and central parts, and heavy rains warnings for the southern and northeastern parts.
Monsoon Progress and Heavy Rains
The most significant development for any traveller is that the southwest monsoon will be progressing into Kerala in about three weeks, marking almost the start of the rain period in India. Weather is gradually favouring the movement of the monsoon towards the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal. According to the IMD weather bulletin, tourists travelling towards south India, including states such as Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and even Lakshadweep Islands, will experience heavy rains, thunderstorms, and gusty winds in the upcoming days. Very heavy rainfall will be experienced in the state of Kerala and even Mahe, and there might be heavy rains witnessed in South Interior Karnataka and certain portions of Tamil Nadu in the coming days.
The weather system in the Bay of Bengal is gaining strength. There is a well-marked low pressure area in the southwest and west central portions of the Bay of Bengal region, which is resulting in unstable weather in eastern and southern India. As far as travellers in the northeast hills of India are concerned, there will be continuous wet weather. In states like Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, along with certain areas in Nagaland, Manipur, and even Mizoram, warnings have been issued regarding heavy rains. Flooding, landslides, and other problems have been forecast in certain sensitive zones.
States of eastern India such as Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, Sub Himalayan West Bengal, and Sikkim will experience thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds in the upcoming days. Warnings have also been issued for heavy to very heavy rains with gusty winds.
Heatwave Conditions in Northern and Central India
However, whereas some states are gearing up for monsoon rains, other parts of India are expecting high temperatures due to a dangerous heatwave. Severe heatwave conditions are likely in Rajasthan during May 18-21. At the same time, severe heatwave conditions are also likely to prevail in some parts of Uttar Pradesh from May 18-19. Other areas with heatwave warnings include Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha, Chhattisgarh, and Jharkhand. According to the bulletin, the highest maximum temperature registered on May 15 was as high as 45.6°C at Amravati, Maharashtra.
This makes travel plans for this week risky, and travellers should be very careful when touring places hit by the heatwaves. They are advised to stay indoors during the hottest part of the day, stay hydrated, and always keep an eye on the local weather advisories. Those travelling to places affected by monsoon rains will also need to be careful since they might experience waterlogging, delayed flights, closed roads, landslides, and traffic disruption.
Marine Conditions and Final Advice
Moreover, adverse marine conditions are likely over parts of the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, as well as Lakshadweep and Andaman Sea. Travellers planning coastal or island trips should exercise caution and check marine forecasts before venturing out.
