IMD predicts wet September across India; warnings issued for Uttarakhand, Haryana, Delhi & Rajasthan

The India Meteorological Department on Sunday said that more rain is expected in northwest India in September. The weather department said the states of Uttarakhand, south Haryana, Delhi and north Rajasthan are likely to receive heavy rainfall during the month.

The IMD predicted that the monthly average rainfall for September 2025 will exceed 109 per cent of the long-term average of 167.9 mm.

The forecast suggests that most regions will receive normal to above-normal rainfall. However, a few areas in the northeast and east, as well as many parts of extreme southern peninsular India and some pockets of northwest India, are likely to experience below-normal rainfall.


Addressing an online press conference, IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra warned that heavy rainfall could trigger landslides and flash floods in Uttarakhand in September.

"Many rivers originate in Uttarakhand. So, heavy rainfall means many rivers will be flooded, and it will impact cities and towns downstream. So, we should keep this in mind," he said.

He added that heavy rainfall is also expected in the upper catchment areas of the Mahanadi river in Chhattisgarh.

Above normal rainfall in August

In its report, IMD said northwest India recorded 265 mm of rainfall in August, which is the highest in the month since 2001 and the 13th highest since 1901. Further, the weather body said that the region has received above normal rainfall in all three months of monsoon so far.

Rainfall in June was 111 mm, 42 per cent above normal, while July saw 237.4 mm, 13 per cent above normal. Rainfall in August stood at 265 mm against a normal of 197.1 mm, an excess of 34.5 per cent, the IMD said.

Cumulatively, northwest India received 614.2 mm of rain between June 1 and August 31, about 27 per cent higher than the normal of 484.9 mm.

The high amount of rainfall coincided with a series of extreme weather events. Punjab suffered its worst flooding in decades as rivers rivers swelled and breached canals, inundating thousands of hectares of farmland and displacing lakhs of people.

Several cloudbursts and flashfloods hit the Himalayan states, triggering landslides and causing widespread damage. Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand reported washed-out bridges and roads, while Jammu and Kashmir witnessed repeated cloudbursts and landslides.

The IMD said the excess rain was due to active monsoon conditions, coupled with frequent western disturbances.

Meanwhile, the South Peninsular India recorded 250.6 mm of rainfall in August, about 31 per cent above normal, making it the third highest for the month since 2001, and the eighth highest since 1901, the IMD said.

Cumulatively, the region received 607.7 mm of rain between June 1 and August 31 against a normal of 556.2 mm, a surplus of 9.3 per cent.

The entire country received 268.1 mm rainfall in August, about 5 per cent above normal, and 743.1 mm rainfall in the three months of June to August, around 6 per cent above normal.