IMD warns of heavy rain, thunderstorms and heatwave risks across multiple Indian states

The India Meteorological Department’s latest forecast for June 28 warns of a broad stretch of unsettled weather across India, combining heavy to extremely heavy rain in several regions with thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds in others.

At the same time, the bulletin keeps heat risk on the map in Uttar Pradesh, where west Uttar Pradesh is likely to remain under heatwave conditions and isolated parts of east Uttar Pradesh may continue to see severe heatwave conditions. The warning lands as the southwest monsoon advances further across the country.

Forecast at a glance

IMD says heavy to extremely heavy rain is likely across parts of eastern, northeastern, western and southern India. The forecast specifically points to heavy rain risk in states including Assam, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Kerala and Telangana.

Delhi-NCR is also expected to see thunderstorms and gusty winds, with IMD forecasting wind speeds of up to 50 kmph on Sunday. The agency’s latest outlook also says conditions are favourable for the monsoon to move further into Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand over the next few days.

In the northeast and eastern belt, earlier reporting on the same weather system said isolated places in sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim could receive extremely heavy rain, while Assam and Meghalaya were expected to see heavy to very heavy rain.

Regional alerts

Assam has already seen local escalation in warnings. Regional reporting said state authorities issued a red alert for Kokrajhar and Chirang districts and an orange alert for Baksa, Lakhimpur and Dhemaji as heavy rainfall and thunderstorms approached.

Telangana is also being watched closely. IMD Hyderabad and the Regional Meteorological Centre in Chennai have warned of widespread rainfall across the state, including Hyderabad, over June 28 and June 29.

Delhi, meanwhile, is moving from intense heat into a more unsettled weather pattern. The capital recorded a season-high feels-like temperature of 51.3C on June 27 before the rain alert for the next two days.

Why it matters

The immediate risks are waterlogging, localized flooding, lightning and gusty wind damage in the heavy-rain zones. Transport disruption is also possible, especially where intense showers hit already saturated ground or where storms coincide with peak travel periods.

The same bulletin also captures a split weather picture across India. Some areas face flood and storm risks, while parts of Uttar Pradesh remain exposed to heat stress at the same time.

That combination makes this a higher-impact forecast than a routine daily update. Residents in affected states are likely to need district-level alerts, especially if rain bands tighten or if thunderstorms become more intense than first projected.

What to watch next

The key follow-up is whether IMD upgrades or extends any red, orange or yellow alerts over the next 24 to 72 hours. District-specific warnings could widen beyond Assam if rainfall totals rise or storm systems intensify.

Authorities will also be watching for reports of waterlogging, travel disruption, outages or damage after the forecast period begins. In Uttar Pradesh, another question is whether the heatwave eases as the monsoon edge advances north and east.

For now, the June 28 bulletin points to a mixed national weather risk: heavy rain and storm alerts in several regions, and lingering heatwave conditions in parts of Uttar Pradesh while the monsoon continues its advance.