Monsoon likely to reach Odisha, Jharkhand, parts of Bengal, Bihar by June  15: IMD - Oneindia News

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for east and west Madhya Pradesh, as well as eastern Rajasthan, for heavy rains expected over the weekend.

With the monsoon winding down in the eastern part of the country, a well-defined low-pressure area hangs over West Bengal and is expected to move westwards towards Jharkhand and Bihar this weekend, bringing heavy rain, thunderstorms, and lightning. Another low-pressure area is forming over eastern Uttar Pradesh, according to the Skymet weather report, and it will bring heavy rain to the region over the next three days.

Heavy rains pelted the Gangetic plains of West Bengal over the last 24 hours, flooding several key areas of the state. After being swept by the Mamkhola, a rivulet in the Kalimpong hills of north Bengal, as the water level rose due to heavy overnight rains, two labourers were killed, at least two others were injured, and another four were missing.

Kolkata received over 150mm of rain over the course of the day, flooding major parts of the city. The northern parts of Odisha, as well as Jharkhand, received moderate to heavy rainfall.

Skymet predicted that the deep low-pressure area would eventually move towards the western part of Uttar Pradesh over the next 24 to 48 hours, spreading out the rainfall activity.

Over Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand, light to moderate rainfall is expected to continue. In terms of monsoon projections, however, the southern part of the country is currently looking weak.