The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reports favorable conditions for the further advance of the Southwest Monsoon, bringing heavy rainfall, lightning, and gusty winds to South India and the Northeast.
Published: May 20, 2026 9:24 PM IST
May 21 IMD forecast: As the Southwest Monsoon gathers steam, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a comprehensive national forecast for May 21, highlighting a dramatic climatic divide across the country. While heavy rainfall, active thunderstorms, sharp lightning and gusty winds are set to lash the southern peninsula and northeastern states, a severe and unrelenting heatwave is simultaneously tightening its grip on northwest, east and central India. Here are all the details you need to know about the weather prediction issued by the IMD.
What is the IMD weather predictions?
As per the IMD, the surge in pre-monsoon activity is driven by a series of overlapping atmospheric systems-including active cyclonic circulations over Punjab, East Uttar Pradesh and coastal Andhra Pradesh-which are shifting winds and intensifying downpours in some pockets, while leaving plains like Delhi-NCR, Haryana, and Rajasthan to battle blistering maximum temperatures fetching between 43°C and 47°C.
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Southwest Monsoon Advance: Conditions are turning favorable for the Southwest Monsoon to push further into parts of the Southeast Arabian Sea, Comorin area, Southwest and Southeast Bay of Bengal, the remaining parts of the Andaman Sea, and sections of the East-Central Bay of Bengal over the next 3 to 4 days.
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Western Disturbance: A cyclonic circulation is currently located over North Pakistan and adjoining Jammu at an altitude of 3.1 km above mean sea level.
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Punjab Cyclonic Circulation: A persistent cyclonic circulation is centered over Punjab and its adjoining areas at 1.5 km above mean sea level.
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East Uttar Pradesh Cyclonic Circulation: An additional cyclonic circulation has formed over East Uttar Pradesh at 0.9 km above mean sea level.
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North-South Trough: A second trough stretches southward from East Uttar Pradesh down to Telangana, passing through East Madhya Pradesh and Vidarbha, extending up to 1.5 km above mean sea level.
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Thunderstorm in North India: Lightnings and gusty winds in Jharkhand and Odisha.
Heatwave grips North India as temperatures cross 45 degrees Celsius in North India
Heatwave grips North India, temperatures cross 45 degrees Celsius, IMD issues red, orange alerts
Severe heatwave conditions continued to intensify across Delhi and several parts of North India on Wednesday, with temperatures crossing 45 degrees Celsius in many areas of Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh, prompting the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to issue red and orange alerts in multiple states.
