Assam on alert: Govt issues warning amid IMD forecast of rain till Sept 22

Guwahati, Sept 16: The Assam government, on Tuesday, issued a weather advisory, urging residents to remain cautious and avoid unnecessary travel as heavy rainfall continues to lash several parts of the state.

The government advisory warned that “heavy to very heavy rainfall” is expected in various districts over the coming days.

Residents of low-lying and hillside areas have been asked to stay alert for flooding or landslides and to maintain adequate stocks of essential items such as medicines and candles.

Daily commuters and long-distance travellers have been advised to plan their movements carefully and avoid venturing out during periods of intense rainfall.

Local administrations have been instructed to monitor the situation closely, with emergency response systems on standby.

In a parallel development, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast persistent showers across Assam until September 22.

According to the IMD, moderate rain is expected at most places, with isolated heavy downpours, thunderstorms, and lightning likely in the coming days.

The ongoing wet spell is attributed to an upper air cyclonic circulation over northeast Assam at 0.9 km above sea level.

The IMD’s daily weather bulletin for the northeastern region noted that the monsoon remains active over Assam and Meghalaya, with extremely heavy rainfall recorded at isolated locations—21 cm in Sohra and 11 cm in Jiribam.

The forecast also indicates that heavy rain, accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning, is likely at isolated locations across Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, and Nagaland over the next five days.

Meanwhile, heavy rain across Assam since Monday night has caused waterlogging in several urban areas. In the past 24 hours until 8:30 am on Tuesday, Goalpara recorded 55.2 mm of rainfall, Silchar 26.7 mm, Guwahati 18 mm, and Dibrugarh 19.2 mm.

In Guwahati, multiple roads, as well as other district headquarters, experienced traffic disruptions due to waterlogging. Authorities in hilly districts have been alerted to the heightened risk of landslides in vulnerable areas.

The IMD stated that daytime temperatures in Guwahati are expected to hover around 30°C, with nighttime lows likely around 25°C in the next couple of days.

With inputs from PTI