Shillong (Meghalaya), Mar 27: Parts of Northeast India are set to end the month of March on a high as far as rainfall is concerned, with heavy showers forecast over the region starting Monday, March 29. In view of these predictions, an orange alert has been issued across six states on Tuesday and Wednesday, March 30-31.
As per the India Meteorological Department (IMD), strong lower-level southwesterly winds blowing in from the Bay of Bengal are set to affect the weather all over the Northeast.
Under the influence of these meteorological conditions, fairly widespread to widespread rainfall, along with thunderstorms, thundersquall, lightning and gusty winds blowing between the speeds of 30-50 kmph are all very likely at isolated places of Northeast India from Monday to Friday, March 29 to April 2.
The rainfall activity will peak around midweek, between March 30-31, with heavy showers particularly possible on March 29 and 31, and heavy to very heavy rains on March 30 at isolated locations in South Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram.
The intense downpour could very well lead to landslides and inundation of low-lying areas in these four states on Wednesday and Thursday, the IMD forecast adds. Furthermore, localised flooding of roads, water-logging, closure of underpasses, occasional reduction in visibility due to heavy rain, disruption of traffic, minor damage to kutcha roads, damage to vulnerable structures, and localised mudslides all remain legit possibilities while the rough weather persists.
Accordingly, the IMD has issued an orange alert over Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura on Tuesday and Wednesday, with the advisory urging residents to ‘be prepared’ for rough conditions.
These six aforementioned states, along with the neighbouring states of West Bengal, Odisha, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, will also be under a yellow watch on Sunday and Monday, with the latter three states retaining the watch on Tuesday and Wednesday as well. This yellow-level advisory urges residents to ‘be aware’ of their local weather situation.
People living in heavy rainfall-prone areas have also been advised to remain indoors, keep doors and windows shut, avoid travelling, take safe shelter, unplug electronic appliances, and stay out of water bodies until rough conditions persist. Checking for traffic congestion while heading out, following any traffic advisories issued due to rough weather, and lastly, avoiding areas that face water-logging problems often and staying in vulnerable structures has also been recommended.
This intense rain spell will see the Northeast end the month of March on a strong note as far as precipitation is concerned, especially considering a majority of its states have experienced below-average rainfall since the beginning of March, which also coincides with the start of the pre-monsoon season over India.
Between March 1 and 26, Arunachal Pradesh (83.5 mm), Assam (25.2 mm), Nagaland (27.4 mm) and Tripura (28.3 mm) have all recorded ‘deficit’ rain figures as compared to their respective long-term average figures for this period, whereas Meghalaya (17.4 mm), Manipur (10 mm) and Mizoram (9.1 mm) have registered ‘large deficit’ precipitation. Sikkim, on the other hand, is the only Northeastern state to record ‘excess’ showers worth 167.9 mm.(TWC)
