Rainfall to remain widespread across several regions over next week

India Meteorological Department has forecast spells of rain accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning across central, eastern, western and southern regions.

Rainfall activity is likely to remain widespread across several parts of the country over the next week, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasting spells of rain accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning across central, eastern, western and southern regions.

In central India, West Madhya Pradesh is likely to receive isolated to scattered rainfall during 18-23 September, while East Madhya Pradesh could see similar activity during 19-23 September. Vidarbha is expected to receive scattered rain from 18 to 21 September.

Rainfall is expected to become fairly widespread to widespread over East Madhya Pradesh on 18 September, Vidarbha during 22-23 September and Chhattisgarh during 18-23 September.

Eastern India is also likely to see sustained rainfall. Fairly widespread to widespread rain is forecast over Andaman & Nicobar Islands during 18-23 September, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim during 18-19 September, and Gangetic West Bengal during 18-20 September and again on 23 September. Odisha is expected to see widespread rainfall during 21-23 September.

In the North-East, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura are likely to receive fairly widespread to widespread rainfall on 19 September. Scattered rainfall is expected to continue across the region through the following days.

Western India is also expected to experience significant rainfall. Fairly widespread to widespread rain is forecast over Konkan and Goa during 20-23 September, and over the Gujarat Region during 18-19 September. Central Maharashtra is likely to receive widespread rain during 21-22 September, while Marathawada could see similar activity on 22 September.

Forecast for South

In southern peninsular India, scattered rainfall is likely over coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam, Rayalaseema, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal during 18-23 September. Kerala, Mahe, and Lakshadweep are expected to receive fairly widespread to widespread rainfall throughout 18-23 September. Coastal Karnataka and Telangana are likely to see widespread rainfall during 20-23 September.

The forecast indicates that rainfall activity will persist across multiple regions as the southwest monsoon season enters its later phase, with several areas expected to experience repeated spells of rain accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning.

Meanwhile, India’s cumulative rainfall during the southwest monsoon season remained 15% below normal through 17 September, with the country receiving 686.4 mm of rainfall against the normal 806.8 mm for the period from 1 June, according to weather data.

During the 24 hours ending at 0830 hours IST on 17 September 2026, extremely heavy rainfall of 21 cm or more was recorded at isolated places over Sikkim. Very heavy rainfall of 12-20 cm was reported over Jammu-Kashmir, while heavy rainfall of 7-11 cm was recorded over Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Konkan, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Tripura, Jharkhand and Tamil Nadu.

About the Author

Vijay C. Roy is a journalist with over 21 years of experience covering various news beats across different organisations such as Business Standard and The Tribune. In the past, he has covered beats such as finance, auto, MSME, commodities, FMCG, pharmaceutical, agriculture, IT/ITES, infrastructure and start-ups. He joined Mint in February 2025, and covers agriculture, food processing, fertilizers, environment and climate change, bringing over two decades of experience reporting on farm policy, food inflation, crop trade, and rural livelihoods.<br><br>Vijay’s areas of reporting include food security and climate change policies, focusing on their impact on different stakeholders and their implications. His expertise lies in simplifying complex agri-economic issues such as edible oil import dependence, cotton and wheat trends, fertiliser subsidies, and climate-related risks. He has covered key developments including global supply disruptions and evolving trade policies, offering both macroeconomic perspective and field-level context. Known for his credible and balanced reporting, he follows a rigorous, fact-based approach that prioritises accuracy and context. He is driven by a commitment to public interest, aiming to make critical agricultural and economic issues accessible while contributing to informed policy and industry discussions.

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