What happened: IMD advance district-level rainfall forecasts and impact warnings in Upper Assam (18–20 July 2026)
The India Meteorological Department (IMD), under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, issued advance district-level rainfall forecasts and colour-coded impact-based warnings for all districts of Upper Assam prior to and during the heavy to very heavy rainfall spell from 18th to 20th July 2026.
IMD’s district-level warnings covered districts of Upper Assam including Jorhat, Golaghat, Sivasagar and Charaideo.
IMD’s forecasts for the State incorporated the occurrence of heavy and very heavy rainfall events with a lead time of 7 days and issued daily colour-coded warnings valid for the subsequent 7 days.
How IMD structured rainfall and warning information
IMD used its standard rainfall classification and spatial distribution categories. The classification covered rainfall intensity categories such as light, moderate, heavy, and very heavy. Spatial distribution coverage ranged from scattered coverage to widespread coverage, using IMD guidelines.