India Battles Twin Threat of Extreme Heat and Erratic Storms as Monsoon Falters

India woke on June 2 to a divided weather map with scorching heatwaves across north and central plains while pre monsoon storms swept southern eastern and northeastern regions as the India Meteorological Department issued alerts nationwide highlighting extreme early summer conditions in 2026.

Delhi remains under a Yellow Alert for thunderstorms and gusty winds after recent storms provided brief relief from heatwave conditions with temperatures expected to rise 6 to 8 degrees Celsius this week.

States including Uttar Pradesh Haryana Punjab Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh face thundersqualls with wind speeds up to 90 kmph while Lucknow Agra and Varanasi record highs near 42 degrees Celsius Chhattisgarh Vidarbha Bihar and Odisha face residual heat and storms with Bihar and Odisha flagged for above normal heatwave days and elevated flood risk in river valleys Uttarakhand and northwest Uttar Pradesh have hailstorm warnings.

In the south Kerala is under Yellow Alert as Arabian Sea moisture strengthens pre monsoon showers while Bengaluru faces heavy rainfall and waterlogging and Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra Pradesh see gusts up to 70 kmph Tamil Nadu Puducherry and Lakshadweep face lightning alerts while Andaman and Nicobar receive heavy rain Northeast including Assam Meghalaya and sub Himalayan West Bengal continues rainfall with persistent flood risk through June 2 to 10.

The monsoon is delayed with expected arrival after June 3 and rainfall forecast reduced to 90 percent of Long Period Average with 60 percent probability of a deficient monsoon below 868.6 mm El Niño conditions are expected to strengthen A weak monsoon could impact agriculture water supply hydropower and groundwater Authorities urge preparedness cooling centres and advisories to avoid peak heat hours.