Monsoon to lash India on Friday as Assam, Bihar brace for fierce storms
The IMD has forecast heavy rain, thunderstorms and squally seas as the southwest monsoon strengthens across India on Friday. The pattern keeps flood and landslide risks high in the Northeast even as east Uttar Pradesh remains under a heat-wave warning.
Monsoon clouds set to gather over India as heavy rain and storms spread on Friday, June 26. (Photo: PTI)
New Delhi,UPDATED: Jun 25, 2026 20:18 IST
The southwest monsoon is gaining strength across India, and Friday, June 26, will bring a sharp divide between heavy rain and stubborn heat, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) says.
The heaviest downpours are forecast for Assam and Meghalaya, where the IMD expects heavy to very heavy rain at isolated places.
Heavy rain is also likely over Arunachal Pradesh, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Telangana, coastal Andhra Pradesh, coastal Karnataka, Konkan, Goa and Madhya Maharashtra.
The reason is simple: moist winds racing in from the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal are forced upward over the hills, wringing out the clouds like a sponge. On the northeastern and Himalayan slopes, this raises the risk of flash floods and landslides.
STORMS AND LIGHTNING
The IMD warns of thundersqualls over Bihar, with winds touching 50 to 60 kmph.
Thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds are also likely across Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Sikkim, Andhra Pradesh and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Lightning is a real danger here, often becoming the main hazard even when the rain is not torrential.
HEAT REFUSES TO LET GO
Not everyone gets relief. East Uttar Pradesh remains under a heat-wave warning, and the IMD says these conditions may persist for several days.
The grip of the heat showed on June 24, when Banda in Uttar Pradesh recorded a scorching 44.2 degrees Celsius, the country's highest that day.
This patchiness is classic monsoon behaviour: rain cools the places it reaches, while those still waiting continue to swelter.
CAUTION AT SEA
The IMD has flagged squally weather over parts of the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, including waters off the Maharashtra-Goa coast, south Gujarat, north Odisha and the northwest Bay of Bengal, which matters for fishermen and shipping.
The IMD says the monsoon should push further into Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh in the coming days.
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