Red, Orange alerts sweep India: Mumbai, Kerala, Goa brace for deluge; Delhi, Northeast on edge

The IMD has also issued an orange alert for Mumbai, warning of heavy to very heavy rain and potential disruptions.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued multiple high-level weather alerts across India as monsoon conditions begin to set in. A well-marked low-pressure area over the Eastcentral Arabian Sea is expected to intensify into a depression within 24 hours, triggering severe weather along the western coast and beyond.

A red alert has been issued for Konkan and Goa, forecasting extremely heavy rainfall from May 23–25, especially during afternoon and night hours. The IMD has also issued an orange alert for Mumbai, warning of heavy to very heavy rain and potential disruptions. Urban flooding, traffic snarls, and localised waterlogging are likely.

Alerts have also been sounded for Kerala and Mahe (May 24–26) and Madhya Maharashtra (May 25), with similar red-level warnings. Coastal Karnataka and South Interior Karnataka are expected to receive sustained downpours from May 24–27, while ghat regions of Tamil Nadu are on alert for May 25–26.

Kerala is under a phased rain alert from May 23–27, with red alerts for Kannur and Kasaragod (May 24), followed by Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur, and Kasaragod (May 25), and an expanded red alert on May 27 including Pathanamthitta and Idukki. Authorities are on high alert due to the risk of extremely heavy rainfall and localised flooding.

The IMD has issued orange alerts for moderate to heavy rain with thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds (50–60 kmph) across Goa, interior Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh (including Raipur), south Odisha, east Uttar Pradesh, west Bihar, Jharkhand, and north Gangetic West Bengal.

Delhi and the NCR region are likely to experience partly cloudy skies, light rain, and thunderstorms from May 23–26. Winds may gust up to 50 kmph, while maximum temperatures will range between 36–39°C, slightly below seasonal norms. The IMD expects a brief cool spell amid otherwise warm and unstable conditions.

In contrast, a severe heatwave continues in West Rajasthan, East Rajasthan, and Jammu & Kashmir, where temperatures remain well above normal. No major relief is expected in these regions in the immediate forecast.