Guwahati/Agartala, Oct 16 (IANS) In good news for Durga Puja revellers, celebrations across most parts of the Northeastern region are expected to remain largely dry and rain-free from Sasthi (Bodhan) to Vijaya Dashami on October 21, an India Meteorological Department (IMD) official said on Friday.
A senior IMD official said that dry weather is very likely to prevail across the Northeastern region, comprising eight states — Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura — during the coming days.
The maximum temperature is likely to remain 2-4 degrees Celsius above normal over the next five days, while the minimum temperature is expected to remain near normal during the same period, the official said.
The official, however, cautioned that light rain may occur at one or two places in the region.
The five-day Durga Puja festivities began on Friday, with people celebrating the occasion amid great pomp and gaiety, colourful decorations and elaborately decorated pandals.
The largely dry weather forecast is expected to provide relief to devotees and revellers visiting Puja pandals and participating in religious and cultural programmes across the region.
Meanwhile, according to IMD officials, the Southwest monsoon has withdrawn from the entire Northeastern region, comprising eight states, as of October 15, with the withdrawal taking place close to its normal date.
“Last year (2025), the Southwest monsoon withdrew from the entire Northeastern region on October 14,” a senior IMD official told IANS.
The official said that although the winter season is likely to be felt towards the latter part of November, both maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to gradually decrease from now onwards.
The Southwest monsoon advanced into substantial parts of the Northeastern region on June 7, two days later than its normal onset date.
IMD officials at the Meteorological Centres in Guwahati and Agartala said that the monsoon covered the entire Northeastern region by June 10, marking the beginning of the four-month-long rainy season.
The IMD official said that the region recorded a 26 per cent deficit in average rainfall during the four-month monsoon season from June to September.
The rainfall deficit came despite the monsoon covering the entire region by June 10.
The withdrawal of the Southwest monsoon from all eight Northeastern states by October 15 marks the end of this year’s monsoon season in the region, paving the way for a gradual transition towards cooler weather in the coming weeks.
–IANS
sc/khz