Guwahati/Agartala, June 7 (IANS) The Southwest monsoon advanced into substantial parts of the Northeastern region on Sunday, arriving two days later than its normal onset date, bringing widespread rainfall and raising hopes for a normal to above-normal monsoon season across the region.

Officials of the Meteorological Centres under the India Meteorological Department (IMD) in Guwahati and Agartala said that the Southwest monsoon entered Tripura, Mizoram, Nagaland, Manipur and parts of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh on Sunday.

“Within the next two to three days, the Southwest monsoon is expected to cover all the Northeastern states,” an IMD official in Agartala told IANS.

He said that last year (2025), the Southwest monsoon had advanced into most parts of the Northeastern region on May 26, making this year’s onset relatively delayed.

According to IMD officials, favourable meteorological conditions currently prevail over the region, facilitating the further advancement of the monsoon during the next two to three days.

“Parts of the Northeast region, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Karnataka, Konkan and Goa, Lakshadweep, Maharashtra, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry are also likely to receive rainfall during the next few days,” the IMD said.

In a statement, the weather agency said that conditions remain favourable for the further advance of the Southwest monsoon into the remaining parts of the Northeastern states as well as some areas of Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim during the next three to four days.

According to the IMD official, although strong El Nino conditions have been forecast in certain parts of India this year, the phenomenon is unlikely to have a significant adverse impact on the mountainous Northeastern region because of its extensive forest cover, varied topography and favourable climatic conditions.

He said that rainfall across the Northeastern states during the Southwest monsoon season is expected to remain normal to above normal.

A weather expert noted that one of the strongest El Nino events on record is widely expected to develop during the second half of 2026, potentially triggering hot and dry conditions across large parts of Asia while causing excessive rainfall in parts of the Americas, with the effects likely to be intensified by ongoing global climate change.

In India, he said, the Meteorological department had earlier revised its forecast for the four-month Southwest monsoon season (June to September), which accounts for nearly 70 per cent of the country’s annual rainfall.

However, despite concerns linked to El Nino, the Northeastern region is expected to receive adequate precipitation during the monsoon months.

The onset of the monsoon is crucial for the agrarian economy of the Northeastern states, where a large section of the population depends on rain-fed agriculture.

Adequate rainfall during the season is expected to support agricultural activities, replenish water resources and improve overall environmental conditions across the region.

–IANS

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