By The India Meteorological Department has warned 12 states of heavy rain and gusty winds up to 85 kmph on Sunday, August 2, 2026, flagging rapid weather changes across North, East and Central India in the coming hours.
The states under warning are Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and West Bengal.
Wind speeds are expected to range from 70-75 kmph in Uttar Pradesh, 65-70 kmph in Bihar, 60-70 kmph in Delhi-NCR, West Bengal and Punjab, and 50-60 kmph in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand.
Bihar has been placed under a yellow alert, with heavy showers forecast across Patna, Gaya, Muzaffarpur, Purnia and Bhagalpur.
In Uttar Pradesh, districts including Meerut, Prayagraj, Agra, Jhansi, Bareilly and Mirzapur are likely to see heavy to very heavy rain with thunderstorms, while Delhi is expected to remain cloudy with light to moderate rain or drizzle.
The IMD attributed the alert to fast-developing thunderstorm cells typical of the monsoon, warning of lightning and gusty winds at isolated spots across the affected states.
Residents in the affected states have been advised to avoid unnecessary travel during peak thunderstorm hours and to stay away from open fields, tall trees and metal structures during lightning activity.
The IMD’s nowcast bulletin, issued at 8:28 am IST on Sunday, tracks fast-changing weather systems over the next few hours and is updated multiple times a day during the monsoon season.
Isolated heavy rainfall is also forecast over Konkan and Goa, and Madhya Maharashtra, on August 2-3, while Arunachal Pradesh and Assam & Meghalaya face isolated very heavy rain risk from August 4.
Gusty winds and lightning are typically associated with the kind of fast-moving thunderstorm cells the IMD flagged for the day, which can cause localised damage to power lines, trees and temporary structures.
Photo by Rajarshi Mitra, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
