NEW DELHI, Jul 17: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Friday forecast heavy rains over Northeast India and issued a red warning for West Bengal, Assam and Meghalaya from 19-21 July.
It also issued a red warning for Arunachal from 19-20 and orange alert for 21 July.
The expected rains are further likely to worsen the flood situation in Assam, where more than 39.8 lakh people in 27 of the state’s 33 districts were affected by the deluge as on Thursday, it said.
The IMD said the monsoon is most likely to shift northwards gradually towards the foothills of the Himalayas from 18 July. In addition, convergence of moist southerly, south-westerly winds from the Bay of Bengal over the Northeast and adjoining east India, and from Arabian Sea over northwest India at lower tropospheric levels are very likely from 18 July.
Due to this, rainfall distribution and intensity are very likely to increase over the northern and northeastern parts of the country from 18 and 19 July, respectively.
Isolated heavy to very heavy rainfalls are very likely NE India during 18-21 July.
Extremely heavy falls are also very likely over sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim, Assam and Meghalaya during 19-21 July, and over Arunachal during 19-20 July, the IMD said.
This may accentuate existing flood conditions and also lead to landslides in some areas of the northeastern states and sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim, the statement said. (PTI)
