India weather: INSAT-3DS captures dramatic shift as heavy clouds cover east, south; northwest turns clear; here's why

Satellite imagery reveals stark weather contrasts in India, with dense clouds over central and eastern regions while the northwest remains clear. An active deep depression contributes to rainfall, particularly in Odisha and Chhattisgarh, as the southwest monsoon begins to withdraw in the northwest.

A satellite image has captured a sharp contrast in India’s weather, with large parts of the east, centre and south covered by dense clouds while the northwest appears significantly clearer.

The INSAT-3DS image, captured on September 24, shows how weather conditions are varying widely across the country as September draws to a close and the southwest monsoon enters its withdrawal phase.

One country, two very different weather scenes

The satellite view presents a striking difference between India’s eastern and northwestern regions.

Dense cloud formations dominate areas around central and eastern India, with substantial cloud cover also visible over southern parts and the Bay of Bengal. Meanwhile, the skies over Rajasthan, Gujarat and several adjoining areas appear relatively clear.

The difference is largely linked to the presence of an active weather system in the east and the gradual transition towards drier conditions in the northwest.

Andhra-Odisha system changes the weather picture

A deep depression positioned over north coastal Andhra Pradesh and adjoining south Odisha is contributing to the widespread cloud activity, according to India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The system has already brought rainfall to Odisha, Chhattisgarh and neighbouring areas. Its northwestward movement is allowing moisture to spread farther inland, keeping atmospheric conditions favourable for rainfall across parts of central India.

The IMD has forecast heavy to very heavy rain over parts of eastern and central India, with isolated extremely heavy rainfall also possible.

Bay of Bengal sends moisture inland

The satellite image shows a large concentration of clouds over the Bay of Bengal, which is supplying moisture to the weather system.

Moisture-laden winds moving from the bay towards land can strengthen cloud development as the depression travels inland. This helps explain the extensive cloud formations visible across parts of eastern and central India.

The combination of the depression and abundant moisture is therefore keeping several areas under active weather conditions.

Monsoon retreat begins to show in northwest

The comparatively clear skies in northwest India reflect a different stage of the seasonal cycle.

The southwest monsoon begins its withdrawal from northwest India around this period, allowing drier conditions to establish gradually across parts of the region. With less moisture available for large cloud formation, satellite images can show a noticeably clearer landscape.

This does not mean the entire country is moving into dry weather at the same time. Monsoon withdrawal progresses unevenly, while individual weather systems can continue producing rainfall elsewhere.

What the satellite image can tell us

The INSAT-3DS imagery uses thermal-infrared observations to monitor cloud-top temperatures. This helps meteorologists identify areas with deep and potentially active convection, as per Moneycontrol.

Very cold cloud tops generally indicate tall cloud formations. Such clouds can be associated with thunderstorms and periods of intense rainfall, making satellite observations useful for tracking developing weather systems.

However, the imagery represents atmospheric conditions at the time of observation and should be read alongside official IMD forecasts and warnings for specific locations.

India’s weather map remains in transition

The weather picture could reportedly change as the deep depression moves farther inland and weakens. Cloud formations, rainfall intensity and the areas affected by the system can shift with its movement.

The latest INSAT-3DS image provides a snapshot of that transition: while the monsoon’s influence is fading over parts of the northwest, moisture-driven weather activity remains prominent across the east, centre and south.

About the Author

Garvit Bhirani is a journalist based in Gurugram. He is a Deputy Chief Content Producer at LiveMint, where he covers national and international news stories, focusing on accuracy and compelling storytelling for readers. <br><br> With a total of six years of experience in journalism, he has previously worked with Vaco Binary Semantics for Google, taking on the role of news curation lead, and reported from the field on health, education, and agriculture stories for 101reporters and News9. He has also served as a content editor for entertainment and news media organisations. <br><br> Garvit holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in journalism and mass communication from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University and Gurugram University, respectively. During college days, he joined India’s only non-profit student journalism network, where he anchored daily news updates and produced his own weekly show called ‘Data Fix’. <br><br> He was selected for the YES Foundation Media for Social Change Fellowship in Delhi, the Talking Data to the Fourth Pillar residential workshop, and the VOICE Fellowship in Pune. <br><br> He holds certificates in COVID-19-verification reporting, data journalism, food & agriculture, tech policy, media literacy and countering misinformation, and tackling election disinformation courses from Thomson Foundation, IndiaSpend, The Dialogue, US Mission in India, and AFP. <br><br> He can be reached on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/garvit-bhirani">LinkedIn</a> or on <a href="https://x.com/GarvitBhirani">@garvitbhirani</a> on X

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