NE India Braces for Heavy Rains After Mocha's Impact; Assam, Meghalaya, NMMT on Alert

Cyclone Mocha, a powerful storm that wreaked havoc in Bangladesh and Myanmar, also had a significant impact on Northeast India. As the cyclone raged through the region, heavy downpours occurred, and now, new meteorological factors are set to bring continued intense rainfall.

A trough situated over East India will bring in moisture-laden southwesterly winds from the Bay of Bengal, as per India Meteorological Department (IMD). This weather pattern will trigger abundant rainfall in the northeastern states of India.

The IMD has predicted widespread light to moderate rainfall over Northeast India from Wednesday to Saturday, May 17-20. Additionally, heavy rainfall ranging from 64.5 mm to 115.5 mm is expected in isolated parts of Arunachal Pradesh on Tuesday, and in Assam and Meghalaya from Tuesday to Saturday. Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura may experience heavy rain until Friday.

Isolated areas in Assam and Meghalaya may face very heavy rainfall ranging from 115.5 mm to 204 mm on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.

Taking these predictions into account, the IMD has issued a yellow watch for Arunachal Pradesh and extended it to Assam, Meghalaya, and N.M.M.T (Nagaland-Manipur-Mizoram-Tripura), until the weekend. The purpose of this watch is to alert residents to stay updated about inclement weather conditions.

The anticipated impacts of these conditions include damage to unsecured structures, breaches in roads, possible landslides, uprooting of trees, breakage of tree branches, and harm to small trees and standing crops. Despite the recent wet spells caused by the cyclone, the rainfall statistics for the northeastern states in May have been underwhelming.

From May 1 to 15, Assam and Meghalaya received only 33 mm of rainfall, representing a significant deficit of 76%. N.M.M.T collectively recorded 24.8 mm of rainfall, with an 80% deficit. Arunachal Pradesh, on the other hand, received a more normal amount of rainfall at 123.4 mm.