Southwest Monsoon 2026 Likely to Advance Further Over Southern India in Next 3-4 Days: IMD

20 May 2026, New Delhi: The southwest monsoon is expected to advance further over parts of the southeast Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal and adjoining southern regions during the next three to four days, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The weather agency said favourable conditions are developing for the gradual progression of the monsoon even as severe heatwave conditions continue across several parts of north and central India. 

IMD said widespread rainfall activity is likely to increase over southern and northeastern parts of the country in the coming days, signalling the strengthening of pre-monsoon conditions ahead of the main monsoon season.

South India Forecast

Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Telangana and adjoining southern states are expected to receive fairly widespread to widespread light to moderate rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds during the week. Heavy rainfall is likely over parts of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Lakshadweep and South Interior Karnataka. 

East and Northeast India Forecast

IMD has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall over Arunachal Pradesh, Assam & Meghalaya, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal & Sikkim and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands between May 21 and May 26. Thunderstorms and strong winds are also expected across Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and Gangetic West Bengal. 

North India Forecast

Northwestern states including Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan are likely to continue experiencing heatwave to severe heatwave conditions during the week. Isolated thunderstorms and gusty winds are also expected over Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. 

Central India Forecast

Heatwave conditions are expected to persist across Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha and Chhattisgarh over the next several days, with temperatures remaining significantly above normal. IMD has advised farmers to maintain irrigation and moisture conservation practices to reduce crop stress. 

West India Forecast

Parts of Maharashtra, including Konkan, Madhya Maharashtra and Marathwada, may receive isolated rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms and gusty winds. IMD said maximum temperatures over Maharashtra could decline by 2-3°C till May 21 before stabilising. 

The weather department also warned fishermen against venturing into several parts of the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea due to rough sea conditions expected during the coming days.

Also Read: Insecticides (India) Limited Launches New Paddy Insecticide ‘Granuvia’

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