Monsoon Fury Grips India: Kolkata Lashed by Storms, Mumbai Traffic Snarls, Delhi Braces for Orange Alert

India's monsoon season is showing its teeth this week, with three major cities - Kolkata, Mumbai, and Delhi - all dealing with intense rain, thunderstorms, and disruption within the same 24-hour stretch, even as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) warns of more severe weather to come across large parts of the country.

Kolkata Under Red Alert as Storms Bring Down Trees

Kolkata was hit by dark, heavy thunderclouds on Thursday afternoon, with wind speeds touching 40-50 kmph as relentless rain swept through the city and its surrounding districts - North and South 24 Parganas, Howrah, and Hooghly. The IMD has placed these areas under a red alert.

The downpour has left several parts of the city waterlogged, slowing traffic to a crawl during commuting hours. In the Dharmatala area, near the Press Club, two large trees came down, damaging a nearby shop and a vehicle, according to news agency IANS.

The IMD had already flagged this stretch of weather, predicting medium rainfall across all of south Bengal on Thursday with winds in the 30-40 kmph range. After a dry spell on Tuesday and Wednesday, the region is now expected to see continued rain right through the weekend.

Mumbai Already Underwater as Monsoon Takes Hold

Mumbai's monsoon arrived with force. The financial capital and neighbouring Thane have seen heavy rainfall flood roads, disrupt train services, and leave commuters stranded in low-lying areas during rush hour. Some parts of the city recorded more than 300 mm of rain within a single 24-hour window ending Wednesday morning, a staggering volume that overwhelmed drainage and brought both road and rail traffic to a standstill.

The IMD has now issued alerts for 31 districts across Maharashtra for Thursday alone. Of these, 25 fall under a yellow alert, including Mumbai, Thane, Nashik, Pune's neighbouring belt, and several Vidarbha and Marathwada districts. Six districts - Pune, Yavatmal, Latur, Dharashiv, Chandrapur, and Satara have been placed under the more serious orange alert, signalling a stronger likelihood of disruptive weather.

Forecasters say north Konkan can expect thunderstorms with lightning and gusty winds up to 60 kmph at isolated spots, alongside very heavy rain in pockets. South Konkan and Goa face similar risks of isolated very heavy rainfall, while north Madhya Maharashtra should brace for lightning-laced thunderstorms over the coming days.

Delhi-NCR Issued Orange Alert as Pre-Monsoon Storms Roll In

After several days of oppressive humidity with little relief, Delhi-NCR is now headed into a spell of thunderstorms and rain. The IMD has issued an orange alert for Thursday covering large parts of the capital, warning of light to moderate rain accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning, and wind gusts reaching 50-60 kmph,  potentially touching 70 kmph in some pockets.

Areas expected to be affected in the coming hours include South East Delhi, East Delhi, Shahdara, Central Delhi, North East Delhi, South Delhi, New Delhi, South West Delhi, North West Delhi, and North Delhi. The weather office has cautioned that these gusty winds could uproot weak trees, cause minor damage to temporary structures, and disrupt traffic in vulnerable pockets. A second wave of lighter rain and thunderstorms, with winds around 30-40 kmph, is expected to follow across most of the NCR region afterward.

The Bigger Picture: Monsoon Pushing Ahead of Schedule

Zooming out, the national monsoon picture is moving faster than earlier expected. The IMD now expects the monsoon to reach Uttar Pradesh by the end of June,  a notable acceleration from its earlier projection of just a three-to-four-day delay.

According to the weather department, the monsoon system is set to advance over the north Arabian Sea, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, and parts of Madhya Pradesh within the next two to three days, before pushing into Jharkhand, Bihar, and parts of Uttar Pradesh three to four days after that. Over just the past 48 hours, the system has already picked up significant momentum, covering the remaining parts of Maharashtra, Telangana, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Bihar and reaching Mumbai itself on Tuesday.

Heavy Rain and Lightning Risk Nationwide This Week

Beyond these three cities, the IMD's broader outlook points to a turbulent week ahead. Heavy to very heavy rainfall in the range of 7 to 20 cm is expected along the West Coast, across Northeast India, and over sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim through the week. Isolated pockets could see extremely heavy rainfall, with sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim at risk on June 27-29, and Assam and Meghalaya flagged for June 28.

Separately, satellite imagery and lightning-tracking data from the ILDN network show intense thunderstorm activity building over Central India, East India, and parts of West India, including Rajasthan. Frequent lightning strikes are already being recorded across several districts as active storm clouds continue to develop, with district-level nowcasts warning of thunderstorms, lightning, gusty winds, and heavy rain in the hours ahead.

The IMD has urged residents across affected regions to stay indoors during lightning, avoid open fields, water bodies, and isolated tall trees, and unplug electrical appliances where possible as the unsettled weather continues to sweep across the country.

Read More: Maharashtra Weather Alert: Rain Lashes Parts Of Mumbai; IMD Issues Yellow Alert For These Districts