Where is it raining in India? IMD warns of heavy rain in key tourist destinations; what travellers need to know

Tourists planning their trips to India’s most sought-after monsoon destinations might have to be cautious regarding the weather conditions during the coming week. As per the latest forecast by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the areas of Kerala and Mahe will be receiving heavy to very heavy rains till June 7. Some other major tourism destinations like Coastal Karnataka, Lakshadweep and extensive regions of North-East India are going to receive continuous rains and thunderstorms during the coming days.This forecast has come amid the ongoing arrival of the Southwest Monsoon in the Indian sub-continent, bringing in plenty of rainfall but also posing chances of various travel-related problems such as waterlogging, low visibility, rough sea condition and delays on mountain highways.One of India’s favourite monsoon destinations, Kerala, will remain in the focus of the prevailing weather conditions. According to IMD, there will be heavy to very heavy rains in some isolated places in Kerala every day until June 7.For tourists, the period is linked with the onset of the monsoon tourism period of Kerala. The places like Munnar, Wayanad, Thekkady, Vagamon, and backwaters of Alleppey tend to be crowded with tourists seeking to explore the rainy landscapes, hazy hills, and gushing waterfalls. But there is also a need for monitoring localized flooding and other potential hazards for tourists. The adjacent state of Coastal Karnataka will also experience heavy rains in the coming days. Tourist destinations like Gokarna, Udupi, Murudeshwar, and the rainforests of the Western Ghats can expect frequent rains. Despite making these places green paradises, the rains can cause some problems for tourists in terms of travel time and sightseeing.Lakshadweep archipelago will continue being under rain-bearing cloud cover for most of the coming week. High-speed winds as well as squally spells over the Arabian Sea may disturb marine activities and ferry services to and from Lakshadweep. The Indian Meteorological Department issued warnings about strong winds blowing at 45-55 kmph with gusts up to 65 kmph over parts of the Arabian Sea and Lakshadweep region and along the coast of Kerala.A similar story of rainfall prevails in the Northeastern region of India, where there is going to be an extended period of rainfall for most of next week. States such as Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura will see widespread heavy rainfall at isolated places during the period from June 4 to June 7.This means that places like Shillong, Cherrapunji, Tawang, Ziro Valley, and Nagaland hills might get rains at a time when nature appears to be most attractive. It will be an ideal time to visit waterfalls in Meghalaya as they would be gushing water in huge volume. However, visitors must be ready for possible delays in travel owing to landslides and poor visibility at many locations.On the other hand, North India is expected to see erratic weather conditions in some regions during the week-long period. These areas might witness thundershowers with lighting and gusting winds in Haryana, Delhi, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Uttarakhand at various times. Besides, there is a chance of thundersqualls blowing at wind speeds of 50-60 kilometers per hour in Jammu & Kashmir, and Ladakh.It will definitely impact those who plan to visit some popular hill stations in Uttarakhand. While such weather conditions may give respite from scorching heat of summer, heavy showers could complicate travel plans on mountain and highways.The eastern region of India is also bound to stay sensitive to weather. Odisha, Jharkhand, and parts of West Bengal would see thunderstorms and gusty winds in the coming days. People who wish to travel by road or plan outdoor activities in these places would have to take into account changing weather.In an interesting development, even though vast areas of India expect rainfall, Bihar continues to be on heat wave watch. The IMD has predicted heat wave conditions at isolated places between June 4th and June 7th. These two contrasting situations depict the kind of weather being experienced in the country.Those travelling through coastal India or planning vacations on islands would have to be extra careful due to weather at sea. According to predictions by IMD, squalls are likely over some parts of Bay of Bengal, especially those near Tamil Nadu coast and south Andhra Pradesh coast, also Gulf of Mannar.The coming week will showcase the two sides to the Indian monsoon season. For many tourists, the rains make places like Kerala, the Western Ghats and Northeastern India so inviting. Cascading waterfalls come alive; forests turn lush and green while mountains adopt an impressive appearance that cannot be captured by anything other than the rainy season.On the flip side, the weather that lures tourists might also cause them inconveniences. Tourism professionals suggest that travellers be ready to adapt their schedules, keep abreast of weather news and plan more time to travel to especially mountainous and coastal regions.With monsoons becoming stronger and covering even wider expanses of the country, tourists will get to experience some of India's amazing seasonal changes, but they must also be ready for a week where the weather plays an important part in all their travels.